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NARRATIVE 



OF THE 



LIFE OF DAVID "cROCKETT, 



OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE. 



I leave this rule for others when I'm dead, 
Be always sure you're right— then go ahead ! 

The Author, 



WRITTEN BY HIMSELF 



PHILADELPHIA: 

E. L. CAREY AND A. HART. 

BALTIMORE: 

CAREY, HART & CO. 

1834 



Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1834, 

By David Crockett, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Columbia. 






OUtUC^ . ^. 



'^/, 



^y 97 Cons." 



STEREOTYPEn BY L. JOHNSON, 
PHlLADELrHlA.. 



>/'^ 



PREFACE. 



Fashion is a thing I care mighty little 
about, except when it happens to run just 
exactly according to my own notion ; and 
I was mighty nigh sending out my book 
without any preface at all, until a notion 
struck me, that perhaps it was necessary to 
explain a little the reason why and where- 
fore I had written it. 

Most of authors seek fame, but I seek for 
justice, — a holier impulse than ever entered 
into the ambitious struggles of the votaries 
of that^cA:/e, flirting goddess. 

A publication has been made to the 
world, which has done me much injus- 
tice; and the catchpenny errors which it 



4 PREFACE. 

contains, have been already too long sanc- 
tioned by my silence. I don't know the 
author of the book — ^and indeed I don't 
want to know him ; for after he has taken 
such a libert}^ with my name, and made 
such an effort to hold me up to public 
ridicule, he cannot calculate on any thing 
but my displeasure. If he had been con- 
tent to have written his opinions about me, 
however contemptuous they might have 
been, I should have had less reason to com- 
plain. But w^hen he professes to give my 
narrative (as he often does) in my own 
language, and then puts into my mouth 
such language as would disgrace even an 
outlandish African, he must himself be 
sensible of the injustice he has done me, 
and the trick he has played off on the pub- 
lick. I have met with hundreds, if not with 
thousands of people, who have formed their 
opinions of my appearance, habits, Ian- 



PREFACE. 5 

guage, and every thing else from that de- 
ceptive w^ork. 

They have ahnost in every instance ex- 
pressed the most profound astonishment at 
finding me in human shape, and with the 
countenance^ appearance^ and common feel- 
trigs of a human being. It is to correct all 
these false notions, and to do justice to my- 
self, that I have written. 

It is certain that the writer of the book 
alluded to has gathered up many imperfect 
scraps of information concerning me, as in 
parts of his work there is some little sem- 
blance of truth. But I ask him, if this 
notice should ever reach his eye, how 
would he have liked it, if I had treated him 
so ? — if I had put together such a bundle of 
ridiculous stuff, and headed it with his 
name, and sent it out upon the world with- 
out ever even condescending to ask his per- 
mission ? To these questions, all upright 

a2 



6 PREFACE. 

men must give the sanfe answer. It was 
wrong; and the desire to make money 
by it, is no apology for such injustice to a 
fellow man. 

But 1 let him pass ; as my wish is great- 
ly more to vindicate myself, than to con- 
demn him. 

In the following pages I have endeavour- 
ed to give the reader a plain, honest, home- 
spun account of my state in life, and some 
few of the difficulties which have attended 
me along its journey, down to this time. 
I am perfectly aware, that I have related 
many small and, as I fear, uninteresting 
circumstances; but if so, my apology is, 
that it was rendered necessary by a desire 
to link the different periods of my life to- 
gether, as they have passed, from my child- 
hood onward, and thereby to enable the 
reader to select such parts of it as he may 
relish most, if, indeed, there is any thing in 
it which may suit his palate. 



PREFACE. 7 

I have also been operated on by another 
consideration. It is this: — I know, that 
obscure as I am, my name is making con- 
siderable deal of fuss in the world. I can't 
tell why it is, nor in what it is to end. Go 
where I will, everybody seems anxious to 
get a peep at me ; and it would be hard to 
tell which would have the advantage, if 
I, and the " Government," and " Black 
Hawk," and a great eternal big caravan of 
wild varments were all to be showed at the 
same time in four different parts of any of 
the big cities in the nation. I am not so 
sure that I shouldn't get the most custom 
of any of the crew. There must therefore 
be something in me, or about me, that at- 
tracts attention, which is even mysterious 
to myself. I can't imderstand it, and I 
therefore put all the facts down, leav- 
ing the reader free to take his choice of 
them. 



8 PREFACE. 

On the subject of my style, it is bad 
enough, in all conscience, to please critics, 
if that is what they are after. They are a 
sort of vermin, though, that I sha'n't even 
so much as stop to brush off. If they want 
to work on my book, just let them go 
ahead ; and after they are done, they had 
better blot out all their criticisms, than to 
know what opinion I would express of 
them, and by what sort of a curious name 
I would call them^ if I was standing near 
them, and looking over their shoulders. 
They will, at most, have only their trouble 
for their pay. But I rather expect I shall 
have them on my side. 

But I don't know of any thing in my 
book to be criticised on by honourable men. 
Is it on my spelling ? — that's not my trade. 
Is it on my grammar ? — I hadn't time to 
learn it, and make no pretensions to it. Is 
it on the order and arrangement of my 



PREFACE. 9 

book ? — I never wrote one before, and never 
read very many; and, of course, know 
mighty little about that. Will it be on 
the authorship of the book ? — this I claim, 
and I '11 hang on to it, like a wax plaster. 
The whole book is my own, and every 
sentiment and sentence in it. I would not 
be such a fool, or knave either, as to deny 
that I have had it hastily run over by a 
friend or so, and that some little alterations 
have been made in the spelling and gram- 
mar ; and I am not so sure that it is not 
the worse of even that, for I despise this 
way of spelling contrary to nature. And as 
for grammar, it's pretty much a thing of 
nothing at last, after all the fuss that's 
made about it. In some places, I wouldn't 
suffer either the spelling, or grammar, or 
any thing else to be touch'd; and there- 
fore it will be found in my own way. 
But if any body complains that I have 



20 PREFACE. 

had it looked over, I can only say to him, 
her, them — as the case may he — that while 
critics were learning grammar, and learn- 
ing to spell, I, and "Doctor Jackson, 
L.L.D." were fighting in the wars; and 
if our books, and messages, and proclama- 
tions, and cabinet writings, and so forth, 
and so on, should need a little looking 
over, and a little correcting of the spell- 
ing and the grammar to make them fit for 
use, its just nobody's business. Big men 
have more important matters to attend 
to than crossing their /'s — , and dotting 
their i's — , and such like small things. 
But the "Government's" name is to the 
proclamation, and my name's to the book ; 
and if I didn't write the book, the " Go- 
vernment" didn't write the proclamation, 
which no man dares to deny I 

But just read for yourself, and my ears 
for a, heel tap, if before you get through 



PREFACE. H 

you don't say, with many a good-natured 
smile and hearty laugh, "This is truly 
the very thing itself — the exact image of 
its Author, 

DAVID CROCKETT." 

Washington City, ^ 

February 1st, 1834. 3 



NARRATIVE 



LIFE OF DAVID CROCKETT. 



CHAPTER I. 



As the public seem to feel some interest in tiie 
history of an individual so humble as I am, and 
as that history can be so well known to no person 
living as to myself, I have, after so long a time, 
and under many pressing solicitations from my 
friends and acquaintances, at last determined to 
put my own hand to it, and lay before the world 
a narrative on which they may at least rely as 
being true. And seeking no ornament or colour- 
ing for a plain, simple tale of truth, I throw aside 
all hypocritical and fawning apologies, and, ac- 
cording to my own maxim, just ''go ahead.^^ 
Where I am not known, I might, perhaps, gain 
some little credit by having thrown around this 
volume some of tlie flowers of learning; ; but 
B 13 



14 THE LIFE OF 

where I am known, the vile cheatery would soon 
be detected, and like the foolish jackdaw, that 
with a borrowed tail attempted to play the pea- 
cock, I should be justly robbed of my pilfered 
ornaments, and sent forth to strut without a tail 
for the balance of my time. I shall commence 
my book with what little I have learned of the 
history of my father, as all great men rest many, 
if not most, of their hopes on their noble ancestry. 
Mine was poor, but I hope honest, and even that 
is as much as many a man can say. But to my 
subject. 

My father's name was John Crockett, and he 
was of Irish descent. He was either born in 
Ireland or on a passage from that country to Ame- 
rica across the Atlantic. He was by profession a 
farmer, and spent the early part of his life in the 
state of Pennsylvania. The name of my mother 
was Rebecca Hawkins. She was an American 
woman, born in the state of Maryland, between 
York and Baltimore. It is likely I may have 
heard where they were married, but if so, I have 
forgotten. It is, however, certain that they were, 
or else the public would never have been troubled 
with the history of David Crockett, their son. 

I have an imperfect recollection of the part 
which I have understood my father took in the 



DAVID CROCKETT. 15 

revolutionary war. I personally know nothing 
about it, for it happened to be a little before my 
day ; but from himself, and many others who 
were well acquainted with its troubles and afflic- 
tions, I have learned that he was a soldier in the 
revolutionary war, and took part in that bloody 
struggle. He fought, according to my information, 
in the battle at Kings Mountain against the Bri- 
tish and tories, and in some other engagements of 
which my remembrance is too imperfect to enable 
me to speak with any certainty. At some time, 
though I cannot say certainly when, my father, as 
I have understood, lived in Lincoln county, in the 
state of North Carolina. How long, I don't know\ 
But when he removed from there, he settled in 
that district of country which is now embraced in 
the east division of Tennessee, though it was not 
then erected into a state. 

He settled there under dangerous circumstances, 
both to himself and his family, as the country 
was full of Indians, who were at that time very 
troublesome. By the Creeks, my grandfather and 
grandmother Crockett were both, murdered, in 
their own house, and on the very spot of ground 
where Rogersville, in Hawkins county, now stands. 
At the same time, the Indians wounded Joseph 
Crockett, a brother to my father, by a ball, which 



16 THE LIFE OF 

broke his arm ; and took James a prisoner, who 
was still a younger brother than Joseph, and who, 
from natural defects, was less able to make his es- 
cape, as he was both deaf and dumb. He remained 
with them for seventeen years and nine months, 
when he was discovered and recollected by my 
father and his eldest brother, William Crockett ; 
and was purchased by them from an Indian 
trader, at a price which I do not now remember ; 
but so it was, that he was delivered up to them, 
and they returned him to his relatives. He now 
lives in Cumberland county, in the state of Ken- 
tucky, though I have not seen him for many 
years. 

My father and mother had six sons and three 
daughters. I was the fifth son. What a pity I 
hadn't been the seventh ! For then I might have 
been, by common consent, called doctor, as a 
heap of people get to be great men. But, like 
many of them, I stood no chance to become great 
in any other way than by accident. As my father 
was very poor, and living as he did far back in 
the back woods, he had neither the means nor the 
opportunity to give me, or any of the rest of his 
children, any learning. 

But before I get on the subject of my own trou- 
bles, and a great many very funny things that 



DAVID CROCKETT. 17 

have happened to me, like all other historians and 
booagraphers, I should not only inform the public 
that I was born, myself, as well as other folks, but 
that this important event took place, according to 
the best information I have received on the sub- 
ject, on the 17th of August, in the year 1786; 
whether by day or night, I believe I never heard, 
but if I did I, have forgotten. I suppose, however, 
it is not very material to my present purpose, nor 
to the world, as the more important fact is well 
attested, that I was born ; and, indeed, it might be 
inferred, from my present size and appearance, that 
I was pretty well horn, though I have never yet 
attached myself to that numerous and worthy 
society. 

At that time my father lived at the mouth of 
Lime Stone, on the Nola-chucky river ; and for 
the purpose not only of showing what sort of a 
man I now am, but also to show how soon I began 
to be a sort of a little man, I have endeavoured 
to take the hack track of life, in order to fix on 
the first thing that I can remember. But even 
then, as now, so many things were happening, 
tliat as Major Jack Downing would say, they are all 
in " a pretty considerable of a snarl," and I find it 
" kinder hai'd" to fix on that thing, among them 
all, which really happened first. But I think it 
B 2 



13 THE LIFE OF 

likely, I have hit on the outside line of my recol- 
lection ; as one thing happened at which I was so 
badly scared, that it seems to me I could not have 
forgotten it, if it had happened a little time only 
after I was born. Therefore it furnishes me with 
no certain evidence of my age at the time ; but I 
know one thing very well, and that is, that when 
it happened, I had no knowledge of the use of 
breeches, for I had never had any nor worn any. 

But the circumstance was this : My four elder 
brothers, and a well-grown boy of about fifteen 
years old, by the name of Campbell, and myself, 
were all playing on the river's side ; when all the 
rest of them got into my father's canoe, and put 
out to amuse themselves on the water, leaving me 
on the shore alone. 

Just a little distance below them, there was a 
fall in the river, which went slap-right straight 
down. My brothers, though they were little fel- 
lows, had been used to paddling the canoe, and 
could have carried it safely anywhere about there; 
but this fellow Campbell wouldn't let them 
have the paddle, but, fool like, undertook to ma- 
nage it himself. I reckon he had never seen a 
water craft before ; and it went just any way but 
the way he wanted it. There he paddled, and 
paddled, and paddled — all the while going wrong, 



LAVID CROCKETT. jg 

— until, in a short time, here they were all going, 
straight forward, stern foremost, right plump to 
the falls ; and if they had only had a fair shake, 
they would have gone over as slick as a whistle. 
It was'ent this, though, that scared me ; for I was 
so infernal mad that they had left me on the shore, 
that I had as soon have seen them all go over the 
falls a bit, as any other way. But their danger 
was seen by a man by the name of Kendall, but I'll 
be shot if it was Amos ; for I believe I would 
know him yet if I was to see him. This man 
Kendall was working in a field on the bank, and 
knowing there was no time to lose, he started full 
tilt, and here he come like a cane brake afire ; 
and as he ran, he threw off his coat, and then his 
jacket, and then his shirt, for I know when he got 
to the water he had nothing on but his breeches. 
But seeing him in such a hurry, and tearing off 
his clothes as he went, I had no doubt but that the 
devil or something else was after him — and close 
on him, too — as he was running within an inch of 
his life. This alarmed me, and I screamed out 
like a young painter. But Kendall didn't stop 
for this. He went ahead with all might, and as 
full bent on saving the boys, as Amos was on 
moving the deposites. When he came to the wa- 
ter he plunged in, and where it was too deep to 



20 THE LIFE OF 

wade he would swim, and where it was shallow 
enough he went bolting on ; and by such exertion 
as I never saw at any other time in my life, 
he reached the canoe, when it was within twenty 
or thirty feet of the falls ; and so great was the 
suck, and so swift the current, that poor Ken- 
dall had a hard time of it to stop them at last, 
as Amos will to stop the mouths of the people 
about his stockjobbing. But he hung on to the 
canoe, till he got it stop'd, and then draw'd it 
out of danger. When they got out, I found the 
boys were more scared than I had been, and the 
only thing that com.forted me was, the belief 
that it w^as a punishment on them for leaving 
me on shore. 

Shortly after this, my father removed, and 
settled in the same county, about ten miles above 
Greenville. 

There another circumstance happened, which 
made a lasting impression on my memory, 
though I was but a small child. Joseph Haw- 
kins, who was a brother to my mother, was 
in the woods hunting for deer. He was passing 
near a thicket of brush, in which one of our 
neighbours was gathering some grapes, as it was 
in the fall of the year, and the grape season. 
The body of the man was hid by the brush, 



DAVID CROCKETT. 21 

and it was only as he would raise his hand to 
pull the bunches, that any part of him could be 
seen. It was a likely place for deer ; and my 
uncle, having no suspicion that it was any human 
being, but supposing the raising of the hand to 
be the occasional twitch of a deer's ear, fired at 
the lump, and as the devil would have it, un- 
fortunately shot the man through the body. I 
saw my father draw a silk handkerchief through 
the bullet hole, and entirely through his body ; 
yet after a while he got well, as little as any one 
would have thought it. What become of him, 
or whether he is dead or alive, I don't know ; 
but I reckon he did'ent fancy the business of ga- 
thering grapes in an out-of-the-way thicket soon 
again. 

The next move my father made was to the 
mouth of Core creek, where he and a man by the 
name of Thomas Galbreath undertook to build a 
mill in partnership. They went on very well 
with their work until it was nigh done, when 
there came the second epistle to Noah's fresh, and 
away went their mill, shot, lock, and barrel. I 
remember the water rose so high, that it got up 
into the house we lived in, and my father moved 
us out of it, to keep us from being drowned. I 
was now about seven or eight years old, and have 



22 THE LIFE OF 

a pretty distinct recollection of every thing that 
was going on. From his bad luck in that bu- 
siness, and being ready to wash out from mill 
building, my father again removed, and this time 
settled in Jefferson county, now in the state of 
Tennessee ; where he opened a tavern on the road 
from Abbingdon to Knoxville. 

His tavern was on a small scale, as he was poor ; 
and the principal accommodations which he kept, 
were for the waggoners who travelled the road. 
Here I remained with him until I was twelve 
years old ; and about that time, you may guess, if 
you belong to Yankee land, or reckon, if like me 
you belong to the back-woods, that I began to 
make U]^ my acquaintance with hard times, and a 
plenty of them. 

An old Dutchman, by the name of Jacob Siler, 
who was moving from Knox county to Rock- 
bridge, in the state of Virginia, in passing, made a 
stop at my father's house. He had a large stock 
of cattle, that he was carrying on with him ; and I 
suppose made some proposition to my father to 
hire some one to assist him. 

Being hard run every way, and having no 
thought, as I believe, that I was cut out for a 
Congressman or the like, young as I was, and as 
little as I knew about travelling, or being from 



DAVID CROCKETT 23 

home, he hired me to the old Dutchman, to go 
four hundred miles on foot, with a perfect stranger 
that I never had seen until the evening before. I 
set out with a heavy heart, it is true, but I went 
ahead, until we arrived at the place, which was 
three miles from what is called the Natural Bridge, 
and made a stop at the house of a Mr. Hartley, 
who was father-in-law to Mr. Siler, who had 
hired me. My Dutch master was very kind to 
me, and gave me five or six dollars, being pleased, 
as he said, with my services. 

This, however, I think was a bait for me, as he 
persuaded me to stay with him, and not return 
any more to my father. I had been taught so 
many lessons of obedience by my father, that I 
at first supposed I. was bound to obey this man, 
or at least I was afraid openly to disobey him ; and 
I therefore staid with him, and tried to put on a 
look of perfect contentment until I got the family 
all to believe I was fully satisfied. I had been 
there about four or five weeks, when one day my- 
self and two other boys were playing on the road- 
side, some distance from the house. There came 
along three waggoners. One belonged to an old 
man by the name of Dunn, and the others to two 
of his sons. They had each of them a good team, 
and were all bound for Knoxville. They had been 



24 THE LIFE OF 

in the habit of stopping at my father's as they 
jDassed the road, and I knew them. I made my- 
self known to the old gentleman, and informed 
him of my situation ; I expressed a wish to get 
back to my father and mother, if they could fix 
any plan for me to do so. They told me that 
they would stay that night at a tavern seven 
miles from there, and that if I could get to them 
before day the next morning, they would take me 
home ; and if I was pursued, they would protect 
me. This was a Sunday evening ; I went back 
to the good old Dutchman's house, and as good 
fortune would have it, he and the family were out 
on a visit. I gathered my clothes, and what little 
money I had, and put them all together under the 
head of my bed. I went to bed early that night, 
but sleep seemed to be a stranger to me. For 
though I was a wild boy, yet I dearly loved my 
father and mother, and their images appeared to 
be so deeply fixed in my mind, that I could not 
sleep for thinking of them. And then the fear 
that when I should attempt to go out, I should be 
discovered and called to a halt, filled me with 
anxiety ; and between my childish love of home, 
on the one hand, and the fears of which I have 
spoken, on the other, I felt mighty queer. 

But so it was, about three hours before day in 



DAVID CROCKETT 25 

the morning I got up to make my start. When I 
got out, I found it was snowing fast, and that the 
snow was then on the ground ahout eight inches 
deep. I had not even the advantage of moonlight, 
and the whole sky was hid by the falling snow, 
so that I had to guess at my way to the big road, 
which was about a half mile from the house. 
I however pushed ahead and soon got to it, and 
then pursued it, in the direction to the waggons. 

I could not have pursued the road if I had not 
guided myself by the opening it made between 
the timber, as the snow was too deep to leave any 
part of it to be known by either seeing or feeling. 

Before I overtook the waggons, the earth was 
covered about as deep as my knees ; and my 
tracks filled so briskly after me, that by daylight, 
my Dutch master could have seen no trace which 
I left. 

I got to the place about an hour before day. I 
found the waggoners already stirring, and engaged . 
in feeding and preparing their horses for a start. 
Mr. Dunn took me in and treated me with great 
kindness. My heart was more deeply impressed 
by meeting with such a friend, and " at such a 
time," than by wading the snow-storm by night, 
or all the other sufferings which my mind had 
endured. I warmed myself by the fire, for I was 
C 



26 THE LIFE OF 

very cold, and after an early breakfast, we set out 
on our journey. The thoughts of home now be- 
gan to take the entire possession of my mind, and 
I almost numbered the sluggish turns of the 
wheels, and much more certainly the miles of our 
travel, which appeared to me to count mighty 
slow. I continued with my kind protectors, 
until we got to the house of a Mr. John Cole, on 
Roanoke, when my impatience became so great, 
that I determined to set out on foot and go ahead 
by myself, as I could travel twice as fast in that 
way as the waggons could. 

Mr. Dunn seemed very sorry to part with me, 
and used many arguments to prevent me from 
leaving him. But home, poor as it was, again 
rushed on my memory, and it seemed ten times 
as dear to me as it ever had before. The reason 
was, that my parents were there, and all that I 
had been accustomed to in the hours of childhood 
and infancy was there ; and there my anxious 
little heart panted also to be. We remained at 
Mr. Coles that night, and early in the morning I 
felt that I couldn't stay ; so, taking leave of my 
friends the waggoners, I went forward on foot, until 
I was fortunately overtaken by a gentleman, who 
was returning from market, to which he had been 
with a drove of horses. He had a led horse, with 



DAVID CROCKETT. 27 

a bridle and saddle on him, and he kindly offered 
to let me get on his horse and ride him. I did so, 
and was glad of the chance, for I was tired, and 
was, moreover, near the first crossing of Roanoke, 
which I would have been compelled to wade, 
cold as the water was, if I had not fortunately met 
this good man. I travelled with him in this way, 
w^ithout any thing turning up worth recording, 
until we got within fifteen miles of my father's 
house. There we parted, and he went on to 
Kentucky and I trudged on homeward, which place 
I reached that evening. The name of this kind 
gentleman I have entirely forgotten, and I am 
sorry for it ; for it deserves a high place in my 
little book. A remembrance of his kindness to a 
little straggling boy, and a stranger to him, has 
however a resting place in my heart, and there it 
will remain as long as I live. 



( 29 ) 



CHAPTER II. 

Having gotten home, as I have just related, I 
remained with my father until the next fall, at 
which time he took it into his head to send me 
to a little country school, which was kept in the 
neighbourhood by a man whose name was Ben- 
jamin Kitchen ; though I believe he was no way 
connected with the cabinet. I went four days, 
and had just began to learn my letters a little, 
when I had an unfortunate falling out with one 
of the scholars, — a boy much larger and older 
than myself I knew well enough that though 
the school-house might do for a still hunt, it 
wouldn't do for a drive, and so I concluded to 
wait until I could get him out, and then I was 
determined to give him salt and vinegar. I waited 
till in the evening, and when the larger scholars 
were spelling, I slip'd out, and going some distance 
along his road, I lay by the way-side in the 
bushes, waiting for him to come along. After a 

while he and his company came on sure enough, 
c2 



30 THE LIFE OF 

and 1 pitched out from the bushes and set on 
him like a wild cat. I scratched his face all to 
a flitter jig, and soon made him cry out for quar- 
ters in good earnest. The fight being over, I 
went on home, and the next morning was start- 
ed again to school ; but do you think I went ? 
No, indeed. I was very clear of it ; for I ex- 
pected the master would lick me up, as bad as I 
had the boy. So, instead of going to the school- 
house, I laid out in the woods all day until in 
the evening the scholars were dismissed, and my 
brothers, who were also going to school, came 
along, returning home. I wanted to conceal this 
whole business from my father, and I therefore 
persuaded them not to tell on me, which they 
agreed to. 

Things went on in this way for several days ; I 
starting with them to school in the morning, and 
returning with them in the evening, but lying out 
in the woods all day. At last, however, the mas- 
ter wrote a note to my father, inquiring why I 
was not sent to school. When he read this note, 
he called me up, and I knew very well that I was 
in a devil of a hobble, for my father had been 
taking a few horns, and was in a good condition to 
make the fur fly. He called on me to know why 
I had not been at school ? I told him I was 



DAVID CROCKETT. 31 

afraid to go, and that the master would whip me ; 
for I knew quite well if I was turned over to this 
old Kitchen, I should be cooked up to a cracklin, 
in little or no time. But I soon found that I was 
not to expect a much better fate at home ; for 
my father told me, in a very angry manner, 
that he would whip me an eternal sight worse 
than the master, if I didn't start immediately to 
the school. I tried again to beg off ; but nothing 
would do, but to go to the school. Finding me 
rather too slow about starting, he gathered about a 
two year old hickory, and broke after me. I put 
out with all my might, and soon we were both up 
to the top of our speed. We had a tolerable tough 
race for about a mile ; but mind me, not on the 
school-house road, for I was trying to get as far 
the t'other way as possible. And I yet believe, if 
my father and the schoolmaster could both have 
levied on me about that time, I should never have 
been called on to sit in the councils of the na- 
tion, for I think they would have used me up. 
But fortunately for me, about this time, I saw just 
before me a hill, over which I made headway, 
like a young steamboat. As soon as I had passed 
over it, I turned to one side, and hid myself in the 
bushes. Here I waited until the old gentleman 
passed by, puffing and blowing, as tho' his steam 



32 THE LIFE OF 

was high enough to hurst his hoilers. I waited 
until he gave up the hunt, and passed back again : 
I then cut out, and went to the house of an ac- 
quaintance a few miles off, who was just about to 
start with a drove. His name was Jesse Cheek, 
and I hired myself to go with him, determining 
not to return home, as home and the school-house 
had both become too hot for me. I had an elder 
brother, who also hired to go with the same drove. 
We set out and went on through Abbingdon, and 
the county seat of Withe county, in the state of 
Virginia ; and then through Lynchburgh, by 
Orange court-house, and Charlottesville, passing 
through what was called Chester Gap, on to a 
town called Front Royal, where my employer sold 
out his drove to a man by the name of Vanmetre ; 
and I was started homeward again, in company 
with a brother of the first owner of the drove, 
with one horse between us ; having left my bro- 
ther to come on with the balance of the com- 
pany. 

I traveled on with my new comrade about three 
days' journey ; but much to his discredit, as I then 
thought, and still think, he took care all the time 
to ride, but never to lie ; at last I told him to go 
ahead, and I would come when I got ready. He 
gave me four dollars to bear my expenses up- 



DAVID CROCKETT. 33 

wards of four liundrotl miles, and then cut out and 
left me. 

I purchased some provisions, and went on 
slowly, until at length I fell in with a waggoner, 
with whom I was disposed to scrape up a hasty 
acquaintance. I inquired where he lived, and 
where he was going, and all about his affairs. He 
informed me that he lived in Greenville, Tennessee, 
and was on his way to a place called Gerardstown, 
fifteen miles below Winchester. He also said, 
that after he should make his journey to that 
place, he would immediately return to Tennessee. 
His name was Adam Myers, and a jolly good fel- 
low he seemed to be. On a little reflection, I de- 
termined to turn back and go with him, which I 
did ; and we journeyed on slowly as waggons com- 
monly do, but merrily enough. I often thought 
of home, and, indeed, wished bad enough to be 
there ; but, when I thought of the school-house, 
and Kitchen, my master, and the race with my 
father, and the big hickory he carried, and of the 
fierceness of the storm of wrath that I had left 
him in, I was afraid to venture back ; for I knew 
my father's nature so well, that I was certain his 
anger would hang on to him like a turkle does to a 
fisherman's toe, and that, if I went back in a hurry, 
he would give me the devil in three or four ways. 



34 THE LIFE OF 

But I and the waggoner liad traveled two days, 
when we met my brother, who, I before stated, I 
had left behind when the drove was sold out. 
He persuaded me to go home, but I refused. He 
pressed me hard, and brought up a great many 
mighty strong arguments to induce me to turn 
back again. He pictured the pleasure of meeting 
my mother, and my sisters, who all loved me 
dearly, and told me what uneasiness they had al- 
ready suffered about me. I could not help shedding 
tears, which I did not often do, and my affections 
all pointed back to those dearest friends, and as I 
thought, nearly the only ones I had in the world ; 
but then the promised whipping — that was the 
thing. It came right slap down on every thought 
of home ; and I finally determined that make or 
break, hit or miss, I v/ould just hang on to my 
journey, and go ahead with the waggoner. My 
brother was much grieved ai our parting, but he 
went his way, and so did I. We went on until 
at last we got to Gerardstown, where the waggoner 
tried to get a back load, but he could not without 
going to Alexandria. He engaged to go there, 
and I concluded that I would wait until he re- 
turned. I set in to work for a man by the name 
of John Gray, at twenty-five cents per day. My 
labour, however, was light, such as ploughing in 



DAVID CROCKETT. 35 

some small grain, in which I succeeded in pleasing 
the old man very well. I continued working 
for him until the waggoner got back, and for a 
good long time afterwards, as he continued to run 
his team back and forward, hauling to and from 
Baltimore. In the next spring, from the proceeds 
of my daily labour, small as it was, I was able to 
get me some decent clothes, and concluded I 
would make a trip with the waggoner to Balti- 
more, and see what sort of a place that was, and 
what sort of folks lived there. I gave him the 
balance of what money I had for safe keeping, 
which, as well as I recollect, was about seven dol- 
lars. We got on well enough until we came near 
Ellicott's Mills. Our load consisted of flour, in 
barrels. Here I got into the waggon for the pur- 
pose of changing my clothing, not thinldng that I 
was in any danger ; but while I was in there we 
were met by some wheel-barrow^ men, who were 
working on the road, and the horses took a scare 
and away they went, like they had seen a ghost. 
They made a sudden wheel around, and broke the 
waggon tongue slap, short off, as a pipe-stem ; and 
snap went both of the axletrees at the same time, 
and of all devlish flouncing about of flour barrels 
that ever was seen, I reckon this took the beat. 
Even a rat would have stood a bad chance in a 



36 THE LIFE OF 

straight race among them, and not much better 
in a crooked one ; for he would have been hi a 
good way to be ground up as fine as ginger by 
their rolling over him. But this proved to me, 
that if a fellow is born to be hung, he will never 
be drowned ; and, further, that if he is born for a 
seat in Congress, even flour barrels can't make a 
mash of him. All these dangers I escaped unhurt, 
though, like most of the office-holders of these 
times, for a while I was afraid to say my soul was 
my own ; for I didn't know how soon I should 
be knocked into a cocked hat, and get my walking 
papers for another country. 

We put our load into another waggon, and hauled 
ours to a workman's shop in Baltimore, having 
delivered the flour, and there we intended to re- 
main two or three days, which time was necessary 
to repair the runaway waggon. While I was 
there, I went, one day, down to the wharf, and 
was much delighted to see the big ships, and their 
sails all flying; for I had never seen any such 
things before, and, indeed, I didn't believe there 
were any such things in all nature. After a short 
time my curiosity induced me to step aboard of 
one, where I was met by the captain, who asked 
me if I didn't wish to take a voyage to London ? I 
told him I did, for by this time I Jiad become 



DAVID CROCKETT. 37 

pretty well weaned from home, and I cared but 
little where I was, or where I went, or what be- 
come of me. He said he wanted just such a boy 
a^ I was, which I was glad to hear. I told him 1 
would go and get my clothes, and go with him. 
He enquired about my parents, where they lived, 
and all about them. I let him know that they 
lived in Tennessee, many hundred miles oiT. We 
soon agreed about my intended voyage, and I went 
back to my friend, the waggoner, and informed 
him that I was going to London, and wanted my 
money and my clothes. He refused to let me 
have either, and swore that he would confine me, 
and take me back to Tennessee. I took it to heart 
very much, but he kept so close and constant a 
watch over me, that I found it impossible to es- 
cape from him, until he had started homeward, 
and made several days' journey on the road. He 
was, during this time, very ill to me, and threatened 
me with his waggon whip on several occasions. 
At length I resolved to leave him at all hazards ; 
and so, before day, one morning, I got my clothes 
out of his waggon, and cut out, on foot, without a 
farthing of money to bear my expenses. For all 
other friends having failed, I determined then to 
throw myself on Providence, and see how that 
would use me. I had gone, however, only a fev/ 
D 



38 THE LIFE OF 

miles when I came up with another waggoner, and 
such was my situation, that I felt more than ever 
the necessity of endeavouring to find a friend. I 
therefore concluded I would seek for one in him. 
He was going westwardly, and very kindly en- 
quired of me where I was travelling ? My youth- 
ful resolution, which had brooked almost every 
thing else, rather gave way at this enquiry ; for it 
brought the loneliness of my situation, and every 
thing else that was calculated to oppress me, di- 
rectly to view. My first answer to his question 
was in a sprinkle of tears, for if the world had 
been given to me, I could not, at that moment, 
have helped crying. As soon as the storm of 
feeling was over, I told him how I had been treated 
by the waggoner but a little before, who kept what 
little money I had, and left me without a copper 
to buy even a morsel of food. 

He became exceedingly angry, and swore that 
he would make the other waggoner give up my 
money, pronouncing him a scoundrel, and many 
other hard names. I told him I was afraid to see 
him, for he had threatened me with his waggon 
whip, and I believed he would injure me. But 
my new friend was a very large, stout-looking 
man, and as resolute as a tiger. He bid me 
not to be afraid, still swearing he would have 



DAVID CROCKETT. 39 

my money, or whip it out of the wretch who 
had it. 

We turned and went back about two miles, 
when we reached the place where he was. I went 
reluctantly ; but I depended on my friend for pro- 
tection. When we got there, I had but little to 
say ; but approaching the waggoner, my friend 
said to him, " You damn'd rascal, you have treated 
this boy badly." To which he replied, it was my 
fault. He was then asked, if he did not get 
seven dollars of my money, which he confessed. 
It was then demanded of him ; but he declared 
most solemnly, that he had not that amount in 
the world ; that he had spent my money, and in- 
tended paying it back to me when we got to Ten- 
nessee. I then felt reconciled, and persuaded my 
friend to let him alone, and we returned to his 
waggon, geared up, and started. His name I shall 
never forget while my memory lasts ; it was 
Henry Myers. He lived in Pennsylvania, and 
I found him what he professed to be, a faithful 
friend and a clever fellow. 

We traveled together for several days, but at 
length I concluded to endeavour to make my way 
homeward ; and for that purpose set out again on 
foot, and alone. But one thing I must not omit. 
The last night I staid with Mr. Myers, was at a 



40 THE LIFE OF 

place where several other waggoners also staid. 
He told them, before we parted, that I was a poor 
little straggling boy, and how I had been treated ; 
and that I was without money, though I had a 
long journey before me, through a land of stran 
gers, where it was not even a wilderness. 

They were good enough to contribute a sort of 
money-purse, and presented me with three dol- 
lars. On this amount I travelled as far as Mont- 
gomery court-house, in the state of Virginia, 
w^here it gave out. I set in to work for a man by 
the name of James Caldwell, a month, for five 
dollars, which was about a shilling a day. When 
this time was out, I bound myself to a man by the 
name of Elijah Griffith, by trade a hatter, agree- 
ing to work for him four years. I remained with 
him about eighteen months, when he found him- 
self so involved in debt, that he broke up, and 
left the country. For this time I had received 
nothing, and was, of course, left without money, 
and with but very few clothes, and them very 
indifferent ones. I, however, set in again, and 
worked about as I could catch employment, until 
I got a little money, and some clothing ; and once 
more cut out for home. When I reached New 
River, at the mouth of a small stream, called Little 
River, the white caps were flying so, that I couldn't 



DAVID CROCKETT. 41 

not get any body to attempt to put me across. 
I argued the case as well as I could, but they 
told me there was great danger of being capsized, 
and drowned, if I attempted to cross. I told them 
if I could get a canoe I would venture, caps or 
no caps. They tried to persuade me out of it ; 
but finding they could not, they agreed I might 
take a canoe, and so I did, and put ofl'. I tied 
my clothes to the rope of the canoe, to have them 
safe, whatever might happen. But I found it a 
mighty ticklish business, I tell you. When I got 
out fairly on the river, I would have given the 
world, if it had belonged to me, to have been 
back on shore. But there w^as no time to lose 
now, so I just determined to do the best I could, 
and the devil take the hindm^ost. I turned the 
canoe across tlie waves, to do which,! had to turn 
it nearly up the river, as the wind came from that 
way ; and I Vv-ent about two miles before I could 
land. When I struck land, my canoe was about 
half full of w^ater, and I was as wet as a drowned 
rat. But I w^as so much rejoiced, that I scarcely 
felt the cold, though my clothes were frozen on 
me ; and in this situation, I had to go above three 
miles, before I could find any house, or fire to 
warm at. I, however, made out to get to one at 
last, and then I thought I would warm the inside 
d2 



42 THE LIFE OF 

a little, as well as the outside, that there might be 
no grumbling. 

So I took "a leetle of the creater," — that warmer 
of the cold, and cooler of the hot, — and it made me 
feel so good that I concluded it was like the negro's 
rabbit, "good any way." I passed on until I ar- 
rived in Sullivan county, in the state of Tennessee, 
and there I met with my brother, who had gone 
with me when I started from home with the cat- 
tle drove. 

I staid with him a few weeks, and then went on 
to my father's, which place I reached late in the 
evening. Several waggons were there for the 
night, and considerable company about the house. 
I enquired if I could stay all night, for I did not 
intend to make myself known, until I saw whether 
any of the family would find me out. I was told 
that I could stay, and went in, but had mighty 
little to say to any body. I had been gone so 
long, and had grown so much, that the family did 
not at first know me. And another, and perhaps a 
stronger reason was, they had no thought or ex- 
pectation of me, for they all long given me up 
for finally lost. 

After a while, we were all called to supper. I 
went with the rest. We had sat down to the table 
and begun to eat, when my eldest sister recollected 



DAVID CROCKETT. 43 

me : she sprung up, ran and seized me around the 
neck, and exclaimed, " Here is my lost brother." 
My feelings at this time it would be vain and 
foolish for me to attempt to describe. I had often 
thought I felt before, and I suppose I had, but sure 
I am, I never had felt as I then did. The joy of 
my sisters and my mother, and, indeed, of all the 
family, was such that it humbled me, and made 
me sorry that I hadn't submitted to a hundred 
whippings, sooner than cause so much affliction as 
they had suffered on my account. I found the 
family had never heard a word of me from the 
time my brother left me. I was now almost fif- 
teen years old ; and my increased age and size, 
together with the joy of my father, occasioned by 
my unexpected return, I was sure would secure me 
against my long dreaded whipping; and so they 
did. But it will be a source of astonishment to 
many, who reflect that I am now a member of the 
American Congress, — the most enlightened body 
of men in the world, — that at so advanced an age, 
the age of fifteen, I did not know the first letter in 
the book. 



( 45 ) 



CHAPTER III. 

I HAD remained for some short time at home 
with my father, when he informed me that he 
owed a man, whose name was Abraham Wilson, 
the sum of thirty-six dollars, and that if I would 
set in and work out the note, so as to lift it for 
him, he would discharge me from his service, and 
I might go free. I agreed to do this, and went 
immediately to the man who held my father's 
note, and contracted with him to work six months 
for it. I set in, and worked with all my might, 
not losing a single day in the six months. When 
my time was out, I got my father's note, and then 
declined working with the man any longer, though 
he wanted to hire me mighty bad. The reason 
was, it was a place where a heap of bad company 
met to drink and gamble, and I wanted to get 
away from them, for I know'd very well if I staid 
there, I should get a bad name, as nobody could 
be respectable that would live there. I therefore 
returned to my father, and gave him up his paper, 



46 THE LIFE OF 

which seemed to please him mightily, for though 
he was poor, he was an honest man, and always 
tried mighty hard to pay off his debts. 

I next went to the house of an honest old Qua- 
ker, by the name of John Kennedy, who had re- 
moved from North Carolina, and proposed to 
hire myself to him, at two shillings a day. He 
agreed to take me a week on trial ; at the end of 
which he appeared pleased with my work, and in- 
formed me that he held a note on my father for 
forty dollars, and that he would give me that note 
if I would work for him six months. I was cer- 
tain enough that I should never get any part of the 
note ; but then I remembered it was my father 
that owed it, and I concluded it was my duty as 
a child to help him along, and ease his lot as much 
as I could. I told the Quaker I would take him 
up at his offer, and immediately went to work. 
I never visited my father's house during the 
whole time of this engagement, though he lived 
only fifteen miles off. But when it was finished, 
and I had got the note, I borrowed one of my em- 
ployer's horses, and, on a Sunday evening, went to 
pay my parents a visit. Some time after I got 
there, I pulled out the note and handed it to my 
father, who supposed Mr. Kennedy had sent it for 
collection. The old man looked mighty sorry, 



DAVID CROCKETT. 47 

and said to me he had not the money to pay it, 
and didn't know what he should do. I then told 
him I had paid it for him, and it was then his own ; 
that it was not presented for collection, but as a 
present from me. At this, he shed a heap of 
tears ; and as soon as he got a little over it, he said 
he was sorry he couldn't give me any thing, but 
he was not able, he was too poor. 

The next day, I went back to my old friend, 
the Quaker, and set in to work for him for some 
clothes; for I had now worked a year without 
getting any money at all, and my clothes were 
nearly all worn out, and what few I had left 
were mighty indifferent. I worked in this way 
for about two months ; and in that time a young 
woman from North Carolina, who was the Qua- 
ker's niece, came on a visit to his house. And 
now I am just getting on a part of my history that 
I know I never can forget. For though I have 
heard people talk about hard loving, yet I reckon 
no poor devil in this world was ever cursed with 
such hard love as mine has always been, when it 
came on me. I soon found myself head over 
heels in love with this girl, whose name the public 
could make no use of ; and I thought that if all 
the hills about there were pure chink, and all be- 



48 THE LIFE OF 

longed to me, I would give them if I could just 
talk to her as I wanted to ; but I was afraid to 
begin, for when I would think of saying any thing 
to her, my heart would begin to flutter like a duck 
in a puddle; and if I tried to outdo it and speak, it 
would get right smack up in my throat, and choak 
me like a cold potatoe. It bore on my mind in 
this way, till at last I concluded I must die if I didn't 
broach the subject ; and so I determined to begin 
and hang on a trying to speak, till my heart would 
get out of my throat one way or t'other. And so 
one day at it I went, and after several trials I 
could say a little. I told her how well I loved 
her ; that she was the darling object of my soul 
and body ; and I must have her, or else I should 
pine down to nothing, and just die away with the 
consumption. 

I found my talk was not disagreeable to her ; 
but she was an honest girl, and didn't want to 
deceive nobody. She told me she was engaged 
to her cousin, a son of the old Quaker. This news 
was worse to me than war, pestilence, or famine ; 
but still I knowed I could not help myself. I 
saw quick enough my cake was dough, and I 
tried to cool off as fast as possible ; but I had 
hardly safety pipes enough, as my love was so hot 



DAVID CROCKETT. 49 

as mighty nigh to burst my boilers. But I didn't 
press my claims any more, seeing there was no 
chance to do any thing. 

I began now to think, that all my misfortunes 
growed out of my want of learning. I had never 
been to school but four days, as the reader has 
already seen, and did not yet know a letter. 

I thought I would try to go to school some ; and 
as the Quaker had a married son, who was living 
about a mile and a half from him, and keeping a 
school, I proposed to him that I would go to 
school four days in the week, and work for him 
the other two, to pay my board and schooling. 
He agreed I might come on those terms ; and so at 
it I went, learning and working back and forwards, 
until I had been with him nigh on to six months. 
In this time I learned to read a little in my primer, 
to write my own name, and to cypher some in 
the three first rules in figures. And this was all 
the schooling I ever had in my life, up to this 
day. I should have continued longer, if it hadn't 
been that I concluded I couldn't do any longer 
without a wife ; and so I cut out to hunt me one. 

I found a family of very pretty little girls that 

I had known when very young. They had lived 

in the same neighborhood with me, and I had 

tliought very well of them. I made an offer to 

E 



50 THE LIFE OF 

one of thenij whose name is nobody's business, 
no more than the Quaker girl's was, and I found 
she took it very well. I still continued paying 
my respects to her, until I got to love her as bad 
as I had the Quaker's niece ; and I would have 
agreed to fight a whole regiment of wild cats if 
she would only have said she would have me. 
Several months passed in this way, during all of 
which time she continued very kind and friendly. 
At last, the son of the old Quaker and my first 
girl had concluded to bring their matter to a 
close, and my little queen and myself were called 
on to wait on them. We went on the day, and 
performed our duty as attendants. This made me 
worse than ever ; and after it was over, I pressed 
my claim very hard on her, but she would still 
give me a sort of an evasive answer. However, I 
gave her mighty little peace, till she told me at 
last she would have me. I thought this was glo- 
rification enough, even without spectacles. I was 
then about eighteen years old. We fixed the time 
to be married ; and I thought if that day come, I 
should be the happiest man in the created world, 
or in the moon, or any where else. 

I had by this time got to be mighty fond of 
the rifle, and had bought a capital one. I most 
generally carried her with me whereever I went, 



DAVID CROCKETT. 5I 

and though I had got back to the old Quaker's to 
live, who was a very particular man, I would 
sometimes slip out and attend the shooting 
matches, where they shot for beef; I always 
tried, though, to keep it a secret from him. He 
had at the same time a bound boy living with 
him, who I had gotten into almost as great a 
notion of the girls as myself. He was about my 
own age, and was deeply smitten with the sister 
to my intended wife. I know'd it was in vain to 
try to get the leave of the old man for my young 
associate to go with me on any of my courting 
* frolics ; but I thought I could fix a plan to have 
him along, which would not injure the Quaker, as 
we had no notion that he should ever know it. 
We commonly slept up-stairs, and at the gable 
end of the house there was a window. So one 
Sunday, when the old man and his family were 
all gone to meeting, we went out and cut a long 
pole, and, taking it to the house, we set it up on 
end in the corner, reaching up the chimney as 
high as the window. After this we would go up- 
stairs to bed, and then putting on our Sunday 
clothes, would go out at the window, and climb 
down the pole, take a horse apiece, and ride about 
ten miles to where his sweetheart lived, and the 
girl I claimed as my wife. I was always mighty 



52 THE LIFE OF 

careful to be back l^efore clay, so as to escape 
being found out ; and in this way I continued my 
attentions very closely until a few days before I 
was to be married, or at least thought I was, 
for I had no fear that any thing was about to go 
wrong. 

Just now I heard of a shooting-match in the 
neighbourhood, right between where I lived and 
my girl's house; and I determined to kill two birds 
with one stone, — to go to the shooting match first, 
and then to see her. I therefore made the Quaker 
believe I was going to hunt for deer, as they were 
pretty plenty about in those parts ; but, instead of 
hunting them, I went straight on to the shooting- 
match, where I joined in with a partner, and we 
put in several shots for the beef. I was mighty 
lucky, and when the match was over I had won 
the whole beef. This was on a Saturday, and my 
success had put me in the finest humour in the 
world. So I sold my part of the beef for five 
dollars in the real grit, for I believe that was 
before bank-notes was invented ; at least, I had 
never heard of any. I now started on to ask for 
my wife ; for, though the next Thursday was our 
wedding day, I had never said a word to her pa- 
rents about it. I had always dreaded the under- 
taking so bad, that I had put the evil hour off as 



DAVID CROCKETT. 53 

long as possible ; and, indeed, I calculated they 
knowed me so well, they wouldn't raise any ob- 
jection to having me for their son-in-law. I had 
a great deal better opinion of myself, I found, 
than other people had of me ; but I moved on 
with a light heart, and my five dollars jingling 
in my pocket, thinking all the time there was 
but few greater men in the world than myself. 

In this flow of good humour I went ahead, till 
I got within about two miles of the place, when I 
concluded I would stop awhile at the house of the 
girPs uncle ; where I might enquire about the 
family, and so forth, and so on. I was indeed 
just about ready to consider her uncle, my uncle ; 
and her affairs, my affairs. When I went in, tho% 
I found her sister there. I asked how all was at 
home ? In a minute I found from her countenance 
something was wrong. She looked mortified, and 
didn't answer as quick as I thought she ought, 
being it was her brother-in-law talking to her. 
However, I asked her again. She then burst into 
tears, and told me her sister was going to deceive 
me ; and that she was to be married to another 
man the next day. This was as sudden to me as 
a clap of thunder of a bright sunshiny day. It 
was the cap-stone of all the afflictions I had ever 
E 2 



54 THE LIFE OF 

met with ; and it seemed to me, that it was more 
than any human creature could endure. It struck 
me perfectly speechless for some time, and made 
me feel so weak, that I thought I should sink 
down. I however recovered from my shock after 
a little, and rose and started without any cere- 
mony, or even bidding any body good-bye. The 
young woman followed me out to the gate, and 
entreated me to go on to her father's, and said she 
would go with me. She said the young man, 
who was going to marry her sister, had got his 
license, and had asked for her ; but she assured 
me her father and mother both preferred me to 
him ; and that she had no doubt but that, if I 
would go on, I could break off the match. But I 
found I could go no further. My heart was 
bruised, and my spirits were broken down ; so I 
bid her farewell, and turned my lonesome and 
miserable steps back again homeward, concluding 
that I was only born for hardships, misery, and 
disappointment. I now began to think, that in 
making me, it was entirely forgotten to make my 
mate ; that I was born odd, and should always 
remain so, and that nobody would have me. 

But all these reflections did not satisfy my 
mind, for I had no peace day nor night for several 



DAVID CROCKETT. 55 

weeks. My appetite failed me, and I grew daily 
worse and worse. They all thought I was sick ; 
and so I was. And it was the worst kind of sick- 
ness, — a sickness of the heart, and all the tender 
parts, produced by disappointed love. 



( 57 ) 



CHAPTER IV. 

I CONTINUED in this down-spirited situation 
for a good long time, until one day I took my 
rifle and started a hunting. While out, I made a 
call at the house of a Dutch widow, who had a 
daughter that was well enough as to smartness, but 
she was as ugly as a stone fence. She was, how- 
ever, quite talkative, and soon begun to laugh at 
me about my disappointment. 

She seemed disposed, though, to comfort me as 
much as she could ; and, for that purpose, told 
me to keep in good heart, that " there was as good 
fish in the sea as had ever been caught out of it." 
I doubted this very much ; but whether or not, I 
was certain that she was not one of them, for she 
was so homely that it almost give me a pain in 
the eyes to look at her. 

But I couldn't help thinking, that she had in- 
tended what she had said as a banter for me to 
court her ! ! ! — the last thing in creation I could 



58 THE LIFE OF 

have thought of doing. I felt little inclined to 
talk on the subject, it is true ; but, to pass off the 
time, I told her I thought I was born odd, and 
that no fellow to me could be found. She pro- 
tested against this, and said if I would come to 
their reaping, which was not far off, she would 
show me one of the prettiest little girls there 1 
had ever seen. She added that the one who had 
deceived me was nothing to be compared with 
her. I didn't believe a word of all this, for I 
had thought that such a piece of flesh and blood 
as she was had never been manufactured, and never 
would again. I agreed with her, though, that the 
little varment had treated me so bad, that I ought 
to forget her, and yet I couldn't do it. I con- 
cluded the best way to accomplish it was to cut 
out again, and see if I could find any other that 
would answer me ; and so I told the Dutch girl I 
would be at the reaping, and would bring as many 
as I could with me. 

I employed my time pretty generally in giving 
information of it, as far as I could, until the day 
came ; and I then offered to work for my old 
friend, the Quaker, two days, if he would let his 
bound boy go with me one to the reaping. He 
refused, and reproved me pretty considerable 
roughly for my proposition ; and said, if he was 



DAVID CROCKETT. 59 

ill my jilace he wouldn't go ; that there would 
be a great deal of bad company there ; and that I 
had been so good a boy, he would be sorry for me 
to get a bad name. But I knowed my promise to 
the Dutch girl, and I was resolved to fulfil it ; so 
I shouldered my rifle, and started by myself. 
When I got to the place, I found a large company 
of men and women, and among them an old Irish 
woman, who had a great deal to say. I soon found 
out from my Dutch girl, that this old lady was the 
mother of the little girl she had promised me, 
though I had not yet seen her. She was in an out- 
house with some other youngsters, and had not 
yet made her appearance. Her mamma, however, 
was no way bashful. She came up to me, and 
began to praise my red cheeks, and said she had 
a sweetheart for me. I had no doubt she had 
been told what I come for, and all about it. In 
the evening I was introduced to her daughter, and 
I must confess, I was plaguy well pleased with 
her from the word go. She had a good coun- 
tenance, and was very pretty, and I was full bent 
on making up an acquaintance with her. 

It was not long before the dancing commenced, 
and I asked her to join me in a reel. She very 
readily consented to do so ; and after we had 
finished our dance, I took a seat alongside of 



60 THE LIFE OF 

her, and entered into a talk. I found her very 
interesting ; while I was setting by her, making 
as good a use of my time as I could, her mothei 
came to us, and very jocularly called me her son- 
in-law. This rather confused me, but I looked on 
it as a joke of the old lady, and tried to turn it off 
as well as I could ; but I took care to pay as 
much attention to her through the evening as I 
could. I went on the old saying, of salting the 
cov/ to catch the calf. I soon become so much 
pleased with this little girl, that I began to think 
the Dutch girl had told me the truth, when she 
said there was still good lish in the sea. 

We continued our frolic till near day, when 
we joined in some plays, calculated to amuse 
youngsters. I had not often spent a more agreeable 
night. In the morning, however, we all had to 
part ; and I found my mind had become much bet- 
ter reconciled than it had been for a long time. 
I went home to the Quaker's, and made a bargain 
to work with his son for a low-priced horse. He 
was the first one I had ever owned, and I was to 
work six months for him. I had been engaged 
very closely five or six weeks, when this little 
girl run in my mind so, that I concluded I must 
go and see her, and find out what sort of people 
Ihcy were at home. I mounted my horse and 



DAVID CROCKETT. 61 

away I went to where she lived, and when I got 
there 1 found her father a very clever eld man, 
and the old w^oman as talkative as ever. She 
wanted badly to find out all about me, and as I 
thought to see how I would do for her girl. 1 had 
not yet seen her about, and I began to feel some 
anxiety to know where she was. 

In a short time, however, my impatience was 
relieved, as she arrived at home from a meeting to 
which she had been. There was a young man 
with her, who I soon found was disposed to set up 
claim to her, as he was so attentive to her that I 
could hardly get to slip in a word edgeways. I 
began to think I was barking up the wrong tree 
again ; but I was determined to stand up to my 
rack, fodder or no fodder. And so, to know her 
mind a little on the subject, I began to talk about 
starting, as I knowed she would then show some 
sign, from which I could understand which way 
the wind blowed. It was then near night, and 
my distance was fifteen miles home. At this my 
little girl soon began to indicate to the other gen- 
tleman that his room would be the better part of 
his company. At length she left him, and came 
to me, and insisted mighty hard that I should not 
go that evening ; and, indeed, from all her actions 
and the attempts she made to get rid of him, I saw 
F 



62 THE LIFE OF 

that she preferred me all holler. But it wasn't 
long before I found trouble enough in another 
quarter. Her mother was deeply enlisted for my 
rival, and I had to fight against her influence as 
well as his. But the girl herself was the prize I 
was fighting for ; and as she welcomed me, I was 
determined to lay siege to her, let what would 
happen. I commenced a close courtship, having 
cornered her from her old beau ; while he set off, 
looking on, like a poor man at a country frolic, 
and all the time almost gritting his teeth with 
pure disappointment. But he didn't dare to at- 
tempt any thing more, for now I had gotten a 
start, and I looked at him every once in a while as 
fierce as a wild-cat. I staid with her until Mon- 
day morning, and then I put out for home. 

It was about two weeks after this that I was 
sent for to engage in a wolf hunt, where a great 
number of men were to meet, with their dogs and 
guns, and where the best sort of sport was expected. 
I went as large as life, but I had to hunt in strange 
woods, and in a part of the country which was very 
thinly inhabited. While I was out it clouded up, 
and I began to get scared ; and in a little while I 
was so much so, that I didn't know which way 
home was, nor any thing about it. 1 set out the 
way I thought it was, but it turned out with me, 



DAVID CROCKETT. 63 

as it always does with a lost man, I was wrong, 
and took exactly the contrary direction from the 
right one. And for the information of young 
hunters, I will just say, in this place, that when- 
ever a fellow gets b^d lost, the way home is just 
the way he don't think it is. This rule will hit 
nine times out of ten. I went ahead, though, about 
six or seven miles, when I found night was coming 
on fast ; but at this distressing time I saw a little 
woman streaking it along through the woods like all 
wrath, and so I cut on too, for I was determined 
I wouldn't lose sight of her that night any more. 
I run on till she saw me, and she stopped ; for she 
was as glad to see me as I was to see her, as she 
was lost as well as me. When I came up to her, 
who should she be but my little girl, that I had 
been paying my respects to. She had been out 
hunting her father's horses, and had missed her 
way, and had no knowledge where she was, or 
how far it was to any house, or what way would 
take us there. She had been travelling all day, 
and was mighty tired ; and I would have taken 
her up, and toated her, if it hadn't been that I 
wanted her just where I could see her all the 
time, for I thought she looked sweeter than sugar ; 
and by this time I loved her almost well enough 
to eat her. 



64 ■ THE LIFE OF 

At last I came to a path, that I know'd must go 
somewhere, and so we followed it, till we came to 
a house, at about dark. Here we staid all night. I 
set up all night courting j and in the morning 
we parted. She went to h^r home, from which 
we were distant about seven miles, and I to mine, 
which was ten miles off. 

I now turned in to work again ; and it was 
about four weeks before I went back to see her. I 
continued to go occasionally, until I had worked 
long enough to pay for my horse, by putting in 
my gun with my work, to the man I had pur- 
chased from ; and then I began to count whether 
I was to be deceived again or not. At our next 
meeting we set the day for our wedding ; and I 
went to my father's, and made arrangements for an 
infair, and returned to ask her parents for her. 
When I got there, the old lady appeared to be 
mighty wrathy ; and when I broached the subject, 
she looked at me as savage as a meat axe. The 
old man appeared quite willing, and treated me 
very clever. But I hadn't been there long, be- 
fore the old woman as good as ordered me out of 
her house. I thought I would put her in mind of 
old times, and see how that would go with her. I 
told her she had called me her son-in-law before I 
had attempted to call her my mother-in-law 



DAVID CROCKETT. 65 

and I thought she ought to cool off. But her 
Irish was up too high to do any thing with her, 
and so I quit trying. All 1 cared for was, to have 
her daughter on my side, which I knowed was 
the case then ; but how soon some other fellow 
might knock my nose out of joint again, I couldn't 
tell. I however felt rather insulted at the old 
lady, and I thought I wouldn't get married in her 
house. And so I told her girl, that I would come 
the next Thursday, and bring a horse, bridle, and 
saddle for her, and she must be ready to go. Her 
mother declared I shouldn't have her ; but I 
know'd I should, if somebody else didn't get her 
before Thursday. I then started, bidding them 
good day, and went by the house of a justice of the 
peace, who lived on the way to my father's, and 
made a bargain with him to marry me. 

When Thursday came, all necessary arrange- 
ments were made at my father's to receive my 
wife ; and so I took my eldest brother and his 
wife, and another brother, and a single sister 
that I had, and two other young men with me, 
and cut out to her father's house to get her. We 
went on, until we got within two miles of the 
place, where we met a large company that had 
heard of the wedding, and were waiting. Some 
of that company went on with my brother and sis- 
f2 



63 THE LIFE OF 

ter, and the young man I had picked out to wait 
on me. When they got there, they found the old 
lady as wrathy as ever. However the old man 
filled their bottle, and the young men returned in 
a hurry. I then went on with my company, and 
when I arrived I never pretended to dismount from 
my horse, but rode up to the door, and asked the 
girl if she was ready ; and she said she was. I 
then told her to light on the horse I was leading ; 
and she did so. Her father, though, had gone out 
to the gate, and when I started he commenced 
persuading me to stay and marry there ; that he 
was entirely willing to the match, and that his 
wife, like most women, had entirely too much 
tongue ; but that I oughtn't to mind her. I told 
him if she would ask me to stay and marry at her 
house, I would do so. With that he sent for her, 
and after they had talked for some time out by 
themselves, she came to me and looked at me 
mighty good, and asked my pardon for what she 
had said, and invited me stay. She said it was the 
first child she had ever had to marry ; and she 
couldn't bear to see her go off in that way ; that 
if I would light, she would do the best she could 
for us. I couldn't stand every thing, and so I 
agreed, and we got down, and went in. I sent off 
then for my parson, and got married in a short 



DAVID CROCKETT. gy 

time ; for I was afraid to wait long, for fear of 
another defeat. We had as good treatment as 
could be expected ; and that night all went on 
well. The next day we cut out for my father's, 
where we met a large company of people, that had 
been waiting a day and a night for our arrival. We 
passed the time quite merrily, until the company 
broke up ; and having gotten my wife, I thought I 
was completely made up, and needed nothing 
more in the whole world. But I soon found this 
was all a mistake — for now having a wife, 1 
wanted every thing else ; and, worse than all, I had 
nothing to give for it. 

I remained a few days at my father's, and then 
went back to my new father-in-law's ; where, to 
my surprise, I found my old Irish mother in the 
finest humour in the world. 

She gave us two likely cows and calves, which, 
though it was a small marriage-portion, was still 
better than I had expected, and, indeed, it was 
about all I ever got. I rented a small farm and 
cabin, and went to work ; but I had much trouble 
to find out a plan to get any thing to put in my 
house. At this time, my good old friend the 
Quaker came forward to my assistance, and gave 
me an order to a store for fifteen dollars' worth of 
such things as my little wife might choose. With 



6Q THE LIFE OF 

this, we fixed up pretty grand, as we thought, and 
allowed to get on very well. My wife had a good 
wheel, and knowed exactly how to use it. She 
was also a good weaver, as most of the Irish are, 
whether men or women ; and being very indus- 
trious with her wheel, she had, in little or no time, 
a fine web of cloth, ready to make up ; and she 
was good at that too, and at almost any thing else 
that a woman could do. 

We worked on for some years, renting ground, 
and paying high rent, until I found it wan't 
the thing it was cracked up to be ; and that 
I couldn't make a fortune at it just at all. So I 
concluded to quit it, and cut out for some new 
country. In this time we had two sons, and I 
found I was better at increasing my family than 
my fortune. It was therefore the more necessary 
that I should hunt some better place to get along ; 
and as I knowed I would have to move at some 
time, I thought it was better to do it before my 
family got too large, that I might have less to 
carry. 

The Duck and Elk river country was just be- 
ginning to settle, and I determined to try that. 
, I had now one old horse, and a couple of two 
year old colts. They were both broke to the 
halter, and my father-in-law proposed, that, if I 



DAVID CROCKETT. QQ 

went, he would go with me, and take one horse to 
help me move. So we all fixed up, and I packed my 
two colts with as many of my things as they could 
bear ; and away we went across the mountains. 
We got on well enough, and arrived safely in 
Lincoln county, on the head of the Mulberry fork 
of Elk river. I found this a very rich country, 
and so new, that game, of different sorts, was very 
plenty. It was here that I began to distinguish 
myself as a hunter, and to lay the foundation for 
all my future greatness ; but mighty little did I 
know of what sort it was going to be. Of deer 
and smaller game I killed abundance ; but the bear 
had been much hunted in those parts before, and 
were not so plenty as I could have wished. I 
lived here in the years 1809 and '10, to the best 
of my recollection, and then I moved to Franklin 
county, and settled on Bean creek, where I re- 
mained till after the close of the last war. 



( 71 ) 



CHAPTER V. 

I WAS living ten miles below Winchester when 
the Creek war commenced ; and as military men 
are making so much fuss in the world at this time, 
I must give an account of the part I took in the 
defence of the country. If it should make me 
president, why I can't help it ; such things will 
sometimes happen ; and my pluck is, never " to 
seek, nor decline office." 

It is true, I had a little rather not ; but yet, if 
the government can't get on without taking another 
president from Tennessee, to finish the work of 
" retrenchment and reform," why, then, I reckon 
I must go in for it. But I must begin about the 
war, and leave the other matter for the people to 
begin on. 

The Creek Indians had commenced their open 
hostilities by a most bloody butchery at Fort 
Mines. There had been no war among us for 
so long, that but few, who were not too old to 
bear arms, knew any thing about the business. I, 



72 THE LIFE OF 

for one, had often thought about war, and had 
often heard it described ; and I did verily be- 
lieve in my own mind, that I couldn't fight in 
that way at all ; but my after experience con- 
vinced me that this was all a notion. For when I 
heard of the mischief which was done at the fort, 
I instantly felt like going, and I had none of the 
dread of dying that I expected to feel. In a few 
days a general meeting of the militia was called 
for the purpose of raising volunteers ; and when 
the day arrived for that meeting, my wife, who 
had heard me say I meant to go to the war, be- 
gan to beg me not to turn out. She said she was 
a stranger in the parts where we lived, had no 
connexions living near her, and that she and our 
little children would be left in a lonesome and 
unhappy situation if I went away. It was mighty 
hard to go against such arguments as these ; but 
my countrymen had been murdered, and I knew 
that the next thing would be, that the Indians 
would be scalping the women and children all 
about there, if we didn't put a stop to it. I rea- 
soned the case with her as well as I could, and 
told her, that if every man would wait till his 
wife got willing for him to go to war, there would 
be no fighting done, until we would all be killed 
in our own houses ; that I was as able to go as 



DAVID CROCKETT. 73 

any man in the world ; and that I believed it was 
a duty I owed to my country. Whether she was 
satisfied with this reasoning or not, she did not 
tell me ; but seeing I was bent on it, all she did 
was to cry a little, and turn about to her work. 
The truth is, my dander was up, and nothing but 
war could bring it right again. 

I went to Winchester, where the muster was to 
be, and a great many people had collected, for 
there was as much fuss among the people about 
the war as there is now about moving the de- 
posites. When the men were paraded, a lawyer 
by the name of Jones addressed us, and closed 
by turning out himself, and enquiring, at the same 
time, who among us felt like we could fight In- 
dians ? This was the same Mr. Jones who after- 
wards served in Congress, from the state of Ten- 
nessee. He informed us he wished to raise a 
company, and that then the men should meet and 
elect their own officers. I believe I was about the 
second or third man that step'd out ; but on 
marching up and down the regiment a few times, 
we found we had a large company. We volun- 
teered for sixty days, as it was supposed our 
services would not be longer wanted. A day or 
two after this we met and elected Mr. Jones our 
captain, and also elected our other officers. We 
G 



74 THE LIFE OF 

then received orders to start on the next Monday 
week ; before which time, I had fixed as well as I 
could to go, and my wife had equip'd me as well 
as she was able for the camp. The time arrived ; 
I took a parting farewell of my wife and my lit- 
tle boys, mounted my horse, and set sail, to join 
my company. Expecting to be gone only a short 
time, I took no more clothing with me than I 
supposed would be necessary, so that if I got into 
an Indian battle, I might not be pestered with any 
unnecessary plunder, to prevent my having a fair 
shake with them. We all met and went ahead, 
till we passed Huntsville, and camped at a large 
spring called Bealy's spring. Here we staid for 
several days, in which time the troops began to 
collect from all quarters. At last we mustered 
about thirteen hundred strong, all mounted volun- 
teers, and all determined to fight, judging from 
myself, for I felt wolfish all over. I verily be- 
lieve the whole army was of the real grit. Our 
captain didn't want any other sort ; and to try 
them he several times told his men, that if any of 
them wanted to go back home, they might do so 
at any time, before they were regularly mustered 
into the service. But he had the honour to com- 
mand all his men from first to last, as not one of 
them left him. 



DAVID CROCKETT. 75 

Gen'l. Jackson had not yet left Nashville with 
his old foot volunteers, that had gone with him to 
Natchez in 1812, the year before. While we re- 
mained at the spring, a Major Gibson came, and 
wanted some volunteers to go with him across the 
Tennessee river and into the Creek nation, to find 
out the movements of the Indians. He came to 
my captain, and asked for two of his best woods- 
men, and such as were best with a rifle. The cap- 
tain pointed me out to him, and said he would be 
security that I would go as far as the major would 
himself, or any other man. I willingly engaged 
to go with him, and asked him to let me choose 
my own mate to go with me, which he said I might 
do. I chose a young man by the name of George 
Russell, a son of old Major Russell, of Tennessee. 
I called him up, but Major Gibson said he thought 
he hadn't beard enough to please him, — he want- 
ed men, and not boys. I must confess I was a lit- 
tle nettled at this ; for I know'd George Russell, 
and I know'd there was no mistake in him ; and 
I didn't think that courage ought to be measured 
by the beard, for fear a goat would have the prefer- 
ence over a man. f told the major he was on the 
wrong scent ; that Russell could go as far as he 
could, and I must have him along. He saw I was 
a little wrathy, and said I had the best chance of 



76 THE LIFE OF 

knowing, and agreed that it should be as I wanted 
it. He told us to be ready early in the morning 
for a start ; and so we were. We took our camp 
equipage, mounted our horses, and, thirteen in 
number, including the major, we cut out. We 
went on, and crossed the Tennessee river at a 
place called Ditto's Landing ; and then traveled 
about seven miles further, and took up camp for 
the night. Here a man by the name of John 
Haynes overtook us. He had been an Indian 
trader in that part of the nation, and was well ac- 
quainted with it. He went with us as a pilot. The 
next morning, however. Major Gibson and myself 
concluded we should separate and take different 
directions to see what discoveries we could make ; 
so he took seven of the men, and I five, making 
thirteen in all, including myself. He was to go by 
the house of a Cherokee Indian, named Dick 
Brown, and I was to go by Dick's father's ; and 
getting all the information we could, we were to 
meet that evening where the roads came together, 
fifteen miles the other side of Brown's. At old 
Mr. Brown's I got a half blood Cherokee to agree 
to go with me, whose name was Jack Thomp- 
son. He was not then ready to start, but was to 
fix that evening, and overtake us at the fork road 
where I was to meet Major Gibson. I know'd it 



DAVID CROCKETT. 77 

wouldn't be safe to camp right at the road ; 
and so I told Jack, that when he got to tlie 
fork he must holler like an owl, and I would 
answer him in the same way ; for I know'd 
it would be night before he got there. I and 
my men then started, and went on to the 
place of meeting, but Major Gibson was not there. 
We waited till almost dark, but still he didn't 
come. We then left the Indian trace a little dis- 
tance, and turning into the head of a hollow, we 
struck up camp. It was about ten o'clock at night, 
when I heard my owl, and I answered him. Jack 
soon found us, and we determined to rest there 
during the night. We staid also next morning till 
after breakfast : but in vain, for the major didn't 
still come. 

I told the men we had set out to hunt a fight, 
and I wouldn't go back in that way ; that we 
must go ahead, and see what the red men were at. 
We started, and went to a Cherokee town about 
twenty miles off ; and after a short stay there, we 
pushed on to the house of a man by the name of 
Radcliff. He was a white man, but had married 
a Creek woman, and lived just in the edge of the 
Creek nation. He had two sons, large likely fel- 
lows, and a great deal of potatoes and corn, and, 
i^ideed, almost every thing else to go on ; so we 

G 2 



78 THE LIFE OF 

fed our horses and got dinner with him, and 
seemed to be doing mighty well. But he was 
bad scared all the time. He told us there had 
been ten painted warriors at his house only an 
hour before, and if we were discovered there, they 
would kill us, and his family with us. I replied 
to him, that my business was to hunt for just 
such fellows as he had described, and I was de- 
termined not to gack until I had done it. Our 
dinner being over, we saddled up our horses, and 
made ready to start. But some of my small 
company I found were disposed to return. I told 
them, if we w^ere to go back then, we should 
never hear the last of it ; and I was determined 
to go ahead. I knowed some of them would go 
with me, and that the rest were afraid to go back 
by themselves ; and so we pushed on to the camp 
of some of the friendly Creeks, which was dis- 
tant about eight miles. The moon was about the 
full, and the night was clear ; w^e therefore had 
the benefit of her light from night to morning, 
and I knew if we were placed in such danger as 
to make a retreat necessary, we could travel by 
night as well as in the day time. 

We had not gone very far, when we met two 
negroes, well mounted on Indian ponies, and each 
with a good rifle. They had been taken from 



" DAVID CROCKETT. 79 

their owners by the Indians, and were running 
away from them, and trying to get back to their 
masters again. They were brothers, both very 
large and likely, and could talk Indian as well as 
English. One of them I sent on to Ditto's Land- 
ing, the other I took back with me. It was after 
dark when we got to the camp, where we found 
about forty men, women, and children. 

They had bows and arrows, and I turned in to 
shooting with their boys by a pine light. In this 
way we amused ourselves very well for a while ; 
but at last the negro, who had been talking to the 
Indians, came to me and told me they were very 
much alarmed, for the " red skins," as they called 
the war party of the Creeks, would come and find 
us there ; and, if so, we should all be killed. I 
directed him to tell them that I would w^atch, and 
if one would come that night, I would carry the 
skin of his head home to make me a mockasin. 
When he made this communication, the Indians 
laughed aloud. At about ten o'clock at night we 
all concluded to try to sleep a little ; but that our 
horses might be ready for use, as the treasurer said 
of the drafts on the United States' bank, on cer- 
tain " contingences," we tied them up with our 
saddles on them, and every thing to our hand, if 
in the night our quarters should get uncomfort- 



80 THE LIFE OF ' 

able. We lay down with our guns in our arms, 
and I had just gotten into a dose of sleep, when I 
heard the sharpest scream that ever escaped the 
throat of a human creature. It was more like a 
wrathy painter than any thing else. The negro 
understood it, and he sprang to me; for tho' I 
heard the noise well enough, yet I wasn't wide 
awake enough to get up. So the negro caught 
me, and said the red sticks was coming. I rose 
quicker then, and asked what was the matter ? 
Our negro had gone and talked with the Indian 
who had just fetched the scream, as he come into 
camp, and learned from him, that the war party 
had been crossing the Coosa river all day at the 
Ten islands ; and were going on to meet Jack- 
son, and this Indian had come as a runner. This 
news very much alarmed the friendly Indians in 
camp, and they were all off in a few minutes. I 
felt bound to make this intelligence known as 
soon as possible to the army we had left at the 
landing ; and so we all mounted our horses, and 
put out in a long lope to make our way back to 
that place. We were about sixty-five miles off. 
We went on to the same Cherokee town we had 
visited on our way out, having first called at Rad- 
clifPs, who was off with his family ; and at the 
the town we found large fires burning, but not a 



DAVID CROCKETT. 81 

single Indian was to be seen. They were all gone. 
These circumstances were calculated to lay our 
dander a little, as it appeared we must be in great 
danger ; though we could easily have licked any 
force of not more than five to one. But we ex- 
pected the w^hole nation would be on us, and 
against such fearful odds we were not so rampant 
for a fight. 

We therefore staid only a short time in the light 
of the fires about the town, preferring the light of 
the moon and the shade of the woods. We pushed 
on till we got again to old Mr. Brown's, which 
was still about thirty miles from where we had 
left the main army. When we got there, the 
chickens were just at the first crowing for day. 
We fed our horses, got a morsel to eat ourselves, 
and again cut out. About ten o'clock in the 
morning we reached the camp, and I reported to 
Col. Cofiee the news. He didn't seem to mind 
my report a bit, and this raised my dander higher 
than ever ; but I knowed I had to be on my best 
behaviour, and so I kept it all to myself; though 
I was so mad that I was burning inside like a tar- 
kiln, and I wonder that the smoke hadn't been 
pouring out of me at all points. 

Major Gibson hadn't yet returned, and we all 
began to think he was killed ; and that night they 



82 THE LIFE OF 

put out a double guard. The next day the major 
got in, and brought a worse tale than I had, though 
he stated the same facts, so far as I went. This 
seemed to put our colonel all in a fidget; and it 
convinced me, clearly, of one of the hateful ways 
of the world. When I made my report, it wasn't 
believed, because I was no officer ; I was no great 
man, but just a poor soldier. But when the same 
thing was reported by Major Gibson ! ! why, then, 
it was all as true as preaching, and the colonel be- 
lieved it every word. 

He, therefore, ordered breastworks to be thrown 
up, near a quarter of a mile long, and sent an ex- 
press to Fayetteville, where General Jackson and 
his troops was, requesting them to push on like the 
very mischief, for fear we should all be cooked up 
to a cracklin before they could get there. Old 
Hickory-face made a forced march on getting the 
news ; and on the next day, he and his men got 
into camp, with their feet all blistered from the 
effects of their swift journey. The volunteers, 
therefore, stood guard altogether, to let them rest. 



DAVID CROCKETT. 33 



CHAPTER VI. 

About eight hundred of the volunteers, and of 
that number I was one, were now sent back, crossing 
the Tennessee river, and on through Huntsville, 
so as to cross the river again at another place, 
and to get on the Indians in another direction. 
After we passed Huntsville, we struck on the 
river at the Muscle Shoals, and at a place on them 
called Melton's Bluff. This river is here about 
two miles wide, and a rough bottom ; so much 
so, indeed, in many places, as to be dangerous; 
and in fording it this time, we left several of the 
horses belonging to our men, with their feet fast in 
the crevices of the rocks. The men, whose horses 
were thus left, went ahead on foot. We pushed 
on till we got to what was called the Black War- 
rior's town, which stood near the very spot where 
Tuscaloosa now stands, which is the seat of go- 
vernment for the state of Alabama. 

This Indian town was a large one ; but when 
we arrived we found the Indians had all left it. 



84 THE LIFE OF 

There was a large field of corn standing out, and 
a pretty good supply in some cribs. There was 
also a fine quantity of dried leaves, which were 
very acceptable to us ; and without delay we se- 
cured them as well as the corn, and then burned 
the town to ashes ; after which we left the place. 

In the field where we gathered the corn we 
saw plenty of fresh Indian tracks, and we had no 
doubt they had been scared off" by our arrival. 

We then went on to meet the main army at the 
fork road, where I was first to have met Major 
Gibson. We got that evening as far back as the 
encampment we had made the night before we 
reached the Black Warrior's town, which we had 
just destroyed. The next day we were entirely 
out of meat. I went to Col. Coffee, who was then 
in command of us, and asked his leave to hunt as 
we marched. He gave me leave, but told me 
to take mighty good care of myself. I turned 
aside to hunt, and had not gone far when I found 
a deer that had just been killed and skinned, and 
his flesh was still warm and smoking. From this 
I was sure that the Indian who had killed it had 
been gone only a very few minutes ; and though I 
was never much in favour of one hunter stealing 
from another, yet meat was so scarce in camp, that 
I thought I must go in for it. So I just took up 



DAVID CROCKETT. 85 

the deer on my horse before me, and carried it 
on till night. I could have sold it for almost any 
price I would have asked ; but this wasn't my 
rule, neither in peace nor war. Whenever I had 
any thing, and saw a fellow being suffering, I was 
more anxious to relieve him than to benefit my- 
self. And this is one of the true secrets of my 
being a poor man to this day. But it is my way ; 
and while it has often left me with an empty purse, 
which is as near the devil as any thing else I have 
seen, yet it has never left my heart empty of con- 
s-olations which money couldn't buy, — the conso- 
lations of having sometimes fed the hungry and 
covered the naked. 

I gave all my deer away, except a small part I 
kept for myself, and just sufficient to make a good 
supper for my mess ; for meat was getting to be 
a rarity to us all. We had to live mostly on 
parched corn. The next day we marched on, and 
at night took up camp near a large cane brake. 
While here, I told my mess I would again try for 
some meat ; so I took my rifle and cut out, 
but hadn't gone far, when I discovered a large 
gang of hogs. I shot one of them down in his 
tracks, and the rest broke directly towards the 
camp. In a few minutes, the guns began to roar, 
as bad as if the whole army had been in an In- 
H 



g5 THE LIFE OF 

dian battle ; and the hogs to squeal as bad as the 
pig did, when the devil turned barber. I shoul- 
dered my hog, and went on to the camp ; and 
when I got there I found they had killed a good 
many of the hogs, and a fine fat cow into the 
bargain, that had broke out of the cane brake. 
We did very well that night, and the next morn- 
ing marched on to a Cherokee town, where our 
officers stop'd, and gave the inhabitants an order 
on Uncle Sam for their cow, and the hogs we had 
killed. The next day we met the main army, 
having had, as we thought, hard times, and a 
plenty of them, though we had yet seen hardly 
the beginning of trouble. 

After our meeting we went on to RadclifT's, 
where I had been before while out as a spy ; and 
when we got there, we found he had hid all his 
provisions. We also got into the secret, that he 
was the very rascal who had sent the runner to 
the Indian camp, with the news that the "red 
sticks" were crossing at the Ten Islands ; and 
that his object was to scare me and my men away, 
and send us back with a false alarm. 

To make some atonement for this, we took the 
old scroundrelFs two big sons with us, and made 
them serve in the war. 

We then marched to a place, which we called 



DAVID CROCKETT. g? 

Camp Mills ; and here it was that Captain Cannon 
was promoted to a colonel, and Colonel Coffee to 
a general. We then marched to the Ten Islands, 
on the Coosa river, where we established a fort ; 
and our spy companies were sent out. They soon 
made prisoners of Bob Catala and his warriors, 
and, in a few days afterwards, we heard of some 
Indians in a town about eight miles off. So we 
mounted our horses, and put out for that town, 
under the direction of two friendly Creeks we had 
taken for pilots. We had also a Cherokee colonel, 
Dick Brown, and some of his men with us. When 
we got near the town we divided ; one of our 
pilots going with each division. And so we 
passed on each side of the town, keeping near 
to it, until our lines met on the far side. We 
then closed up at both ends, so as to surround 
it completely ; and then we sent Captain Ham- 
mond's company of rangers to bring on the af- 
fray. He had advanced near the town, when the 
Indians saw him, and they raised the yell, and 
came running at him like so many red devils. 
The main army was now formed in a hollow 
square around the town, and they pursued Ham- 
mond till they came in reach of us. We then 
gave them a fire, and they returned it, and then 
ran back into their town. We began to close on 



§3 THE LIFE OF 

the town by making our files closer and closer, 
and the Indians soon saw they were our pro- 
perty. So most of them wanted us to take them 
prisoners ; and their squaws and all would run 
and take hold of any of us they could, and give 
themselves up. I saw seven squaws have hold 
of one man, which made me think of the Scrip- 
tures. So I hollered out the Scriptures was ful- 
filling ; that there was seven women holding to 
one man's coat tail. But I believe it was a hunt- 
ing-shirt all the time. We took them all prison- 
ers that came out to us in this way ; but I saw some 
warriors run into a house, until I counted forty- 
six of them. We pursued them until we got near 
the house, when we saw a squaw sitting in the door, 
and she placed her feet against the bow she had in 
her hand, and then took an arrow, and, raising her 
feet, she drew with all her might, and let fly at us, and 
she killed a man, whose name, I believe, was Moore. 
He was a lieutenant, and his death so enraged 
us all, that she was fired on, and had at least 
twenty balls blown through her. This was the 
first man I ever saw killed with a bow and ar- 
row. We now shot them like dogs ; and then 
set the house on fire, and burned it up with the 
forty-six warriors in it. I recollect seeing a 
boy who was shot down near the house. His 



DAVID CROCKETT, gg 

arm and thigh was broken, and he was so near 
the burning house that the grease was stewing 
out of him. In this situation he was still trying 
to crawl along ; but not a murmur escaped him, 
though he was only about twelve years old. So 
sullen is the Indian, when his dander is up, that 
he had sooner die than make a noise, or ask for 
quarters. 

The number that we took prisoners, being 
added to the number we killed, amounted to one 
hundred and eighty-six ; though I don't remem- 
ber the exact number of either. We had five 
of our men killed. We then returned to our 
camp, at which our fort was erected, and known 
by the name of Fort Strother. No provisions 
had yet reached us, and we had now been for 
several days on half rations. However we went 
back to our Indian town on the next day, when 
many of the carcasses of the Indians were still to 
be seen. They looked very awful, for the burn- 
ing had not entirely consumed them, but given 
them a very terrible appearance, at least what re- 
mained of them. It was, somehow or other, 
found out that the house had a potatoe cellar under 
it, and an immediate examination was made, for 
we were all as hungry as wolves. We found a 
fine chance of potatoes in it, and hunger compel- 
h2 



90 THE LIFE OF 

led us to eat them, though I had a little rather not, 
if I could have helped it, for the oil of the Indians 
we had burned up on the day before had run 
down on them, and they looked like they had 
been stewed with fat meat. We then again re- 
turned to the army, and remained there for seve- 
ral days almost starving, as all our beef was gone. 
We commenced eating the beef-hides, and con- 
tinued to eat every scrap we could lay our hands 
on. At length an Indian came to our ground one 
night, and hollered, and said he wanted to see 
" Captain Jackson." He was conducted to the 
general's markee, into which he entered, and in 
a few minutes we received orders to prepare for 
marching. 

In an hour we were all ready, and took up the 
line of march. We crossed the Coosa river, and 
went on in the direction to Fort Taladega. When 
we arrived near the place, we met eleven hundred 
painted warriors, the very choice of the Creek na- 
tion. They had encamped near the fort, and had 
informed the friendly Indians who were in it, that 
if they didn't come out, and fight with them 
against the whites, they would take their fort and 
all their ammunition and provision. The friendly 
party asked three days to consider of it, and agreed 
that if on the third day they didn't come out 



DAVID CROCKETT. 9] 

ready to fight with them, they might take their 
fort Thus they put them off. They then imme- 
diately started their runner to General Jackson, 
and he and the army pushed over, as I have just 
before stated. 

The camp of warriors had their spies out, and 
discovered us coming, some time before we got to 
the fort. They then went to the friendly Indians, 
and told them Captain Jackson was coming, and 
had a great many fine horses, and blankets, and 
guns, and every thing else; and if they would 
come out and help to whip him, and to take his 
plunder, it should all be divided with those in the 
fort They promised that when Jackson came, 
they would then come out and help to whip him. 
It was about an hour by sun in the morning, when 
we got near the fort. We were piloted by friend- 
ly Indians, and divided as we had done on a former 
occasion, so as to go to the right and left of the 
fort, and, consequently, of the warriors who were 
camped near it. Our lines marched on, as before, 
till they met in front, and then closed in the rear, 
forming again into a hollow square. We then 
sent on old Major Russell, with his spy company, 
to bring on the battle ; Capt. Evans' company 
went also. When they got near the fort, the top 
of it was lined with the friendly Indians, crying 



92 THE LIFE OF 

out as loud as they could roar, " How-dy-do, 
brother, how-dy-do ?" They kept this up till Ma- 
jor Russel had passed by the fort, and was moving 
on towards the warriors. They were all painted 
as red as scarlet, and were just as naked as they 
were born. They had concealed themselves under 
the bank of a branch, that ran partly around the 
fort, in the manner of a half moon. Russel was 
going right into their circle, for he couldn't see 
them, while the Indians on the top of the fort were 
trying every plan to show him his danger. But 
he couldn't understand them. At last, two of 
them jumped from it, and ran, and took his horse 
by the bridle, and pointing to where they were, 
told him there were thousands of them lying under 
the bank. This brought them to a halt, and about 
this moment the Indians fired on them, and came 
rushing forth like a cloud of Egyptian locusts, and 
screaming like all the young devils had been 
turned loose, with the old devil of all at their 
head. Russel's company quit their horses, and 
took into the fort, and their horses ran up to our 
line, which was then in full view. The warriors 
then came yelling on, meeting us, and continued 
till they were within shot of us, when we fired 
and killed a considerable number of them. They 
then broke like a gang of steers, and ran across to 



DAVID CROCKETT. 93 

our other line, where they were again fired on ; and 
so we kept them running from one line to the 
other, constantly under a heavy fire, until we had 
killed upwards of four hundred of them. They 
fought with guns, and also with their bows and 
arrows; but at length they made their escape 
through a part of our line, which was made up of 
drafted militia, which broke ranks, and they passed. 
We lost fifteen of our men, as brave fellows as 
ever lived or died. We buried them all in one 
grave, and started back to our fort ; but before we 
got there, two more of our men died of wounds 
they had received ; making our total loss seven- 
teen good fellows in that battle. 

We now remained at the fort a few days, but 
no provision came yet, and we were all likely to 
perish. The weather also began to get very cold ; 
and our clothes were nearly worn out, and horses 
getting very feeble and poor. Our officers pro- 
posed to Gen'l. Jackson to let us return home and 
get fresh horses, and fresh clothing, so as to be 
better prepared for another campaign ; for our 
sixty days had long been out, and that was the 
time we entered for. 

But the general took " the responsibility" on 
himself, and refused. We were, however, deter- 
mined to go, as I am to put back the deposites, if 



94 THE LIFE O. 

I can. With this, the general issued his orders 
against it, as he has against the bank. But we 
began to fix for a start, as provisions were too 
scarce ; just as Clay, and Webster, and myself are 
preparing to fix bank matters, on account of the 
scarcity of money. The general went and placed 
his cannon on a bridge we had to cross, and or- 
dered out his regulars and drafted men to keep 
us from crossing ; just as he has planted his Globe 
and K. C. to alarm the bank men, while his regu- 
lars and militia in Congress are to act as artillery 
men. But when the militia started to guard the 
bridge, they would holler back to us to bring 
their knapsacks along when we come, for they 
wanted to go as bad as we did ; just as many a 
good fellow now wants his political knapsack 
brought along, that if, when we come to vote, he 
sees he has a fair shake to go, he may join in 
and help us to take back the deposites. 

We got ready and moved on till we came near 
the bridge, where the general's men were all 
strung along on both sides, just like the office- 
holders are now, to keep us from getting along 
to the help of the country and the people. But 
we all had our flints ready picked, and our guns 
ready primed, that if we were fired on we might 
fight our way through, or all die together ; just 



DAVID CROCKETT. 95 

as we are now determined to save the coun- 
try from ready ruin, or to sink down with it. 
When we came still nearer the bridge we heard 
the guards cocking their guns, and we did the 
same ; just as we have had it in Congress, while 
the " government" regulars and the people's vo- 
lunteers have all been setting their political trig- 
gers. But, after all, we marched boldly on, and 
not a gun was fired, nor a life lost ; just as I hope 
it will be again, that we shall not be afraid of 
the general's Globe, nor his K. C, nor his regu- 
lars, nor their trigger snapping ; but just march 
boldly over the executive bridge, and take the 
deppsites back where the law placed them, and 
where they ought to be. When we had passed, 
no further attempt was made to stop us ; but the 
general said, we were '^ the damned'st volunteers 
he had ever seen in his life ; that we would vo- 
lunteer and go out and fight, and then at our 
pleasure would volunteer and go home again, in 
spite of the devil." But we went on ; and near 
Huntsville we met a reinforcement who were 
going on to join the army. It consisted of a re- 
giment of volunteers, and was under the com- 
mand of some one whose name I can't remember. 
They were sixty-day volunteers. 

We got home pretty safely, and in a short time 



95 THE LIFE OF 

we had procured fresh horses and a supply of 
clothing better suited for the season ; and then we 
returned to Fort Deposite, where our officers held 
a sort of a " national convention^^ on the subject 
of a message they had received from General 
Jackson, — demanding that on our return we 
should serve out six months. We had already 
served three months instead of two, which was 
the time we had volunteered for. On the next 
morning the officers reported to us the conclusions 
they had come to ; and told us, if any of us felt 
bound to go on and serve out the six months, we 
could do so ; but that they intended to go back 
home. I knowed if I went back home I couldn't 
rest, for I felt it my duty to be out ; and when out 
was, somehow or other, always delighted to be in 
the very thickest of the danger. A few of us, 
therefore, determined to push on and join the 
army. The number I do not recollect, but it was 
very small. 

When we got out there, I joined Major RussePs 
company of spies. Before we reached the place. 
General Jackson had started. We went on like- 
wise, and overtook him at a place where we esta- 
blished a fort, called Fort Williams, and leaving 
men to guard it, we went ahead ; intending to go 
to a place called the Horse-shoe bend of the Tala= 



DAVID CROCKETT. 97 

poosa river. When we came near that place, we 
began to find Indian sign plenty, and we struck 
up camp for the night. About two hours before 
day, we heard our guard firing, and we were all 
up in little or no time. We mended up our camp 
fires, and then fell back in the dark, expecting to 
see the Indians pouring in ; and intending, when 
they should do so, to shoot them by the light of 
our own fires. But it happened that they did not 
rush in as we had expected, but commenced a fire on 
us as we were. We were encamped in a hollow 
square, and we not only returned the fire, but 
continued to shoot as well as we could in the 
dark, till day broke, when the Indians disap- 
peared. The only guide we had in shooting was 
to notice the flash of their guns, and then shoot as 
directly at the place as we could guess. 

In this scrape we had four men killed, and se- 
veral wounded ; but whether we killed any of 
the Indians or not we never could tell, for it is 
their custom always to carry ofi* their dead, if 
they can possibly do so. We buried ours, and 
then made a large log heap over them, and set it 
on fire, so that the place of their deposite might 
not be known to the savages, who, we knew, 
would seek for them, that they might scalp them. 
We made some horse litters for our wounded, and 
I 



98 THE LIFE OF 

took up a retreat. We moved on till we came to 
a large creek which we had to cross ; and about 
half of our men had crossed, when the Indians 
commenced firing on our left wing, and they 
kept it up very warmly. We had left Major 
Russel and his brother at the camp we had moved 
from that morning, to see what discovery they 
could make as to the movements of the Indians ; 
and about this time, while a warm fire was kept 
up on our left, as I have just stated, the major 
came up in our rear, and was closely pursued by 
a large number of Indians, who immediately 
commenced a fire on our artillery men. They 
hid themselves behind a large log, and could kill 
one of our men almost every shot, they being in 
open ground and exposed. The worst of all was, 
two of our colonels just at this trying moment 
left their men, and by a forced march, crossed 
the creek out of the reach of the fire. Their 
names, at this late day, would do the world no 
good, and my object is history alone, and not the 
slightest interference with character. An oppor- 
tunity was now afforded for Governor Carroll to 
distinguish himself, and on this occasion he did 
so, by greater bravery than I ever saw any other 
man display. In truth, I believe, as firmly as I 
do that General Jackson is president, that if it 



DAVID CROCKETT. 99 

hadn't been for Carroll, we should all have been 
genteely licked that time, for we were in a devil 
of a fix ; part of our men on one side of the 
creek, and part on the other, and the Indians all 
the time pouring it on us, as hot as fresh mustard 
to a sore shin. I will not say exactly that the old 
general was whip'd ; but I will say, that if we es- 
caped it at all, it was like old Henry Snider going to 
heaven, " mit a tarn tite squeeze.' ' I think he would 
confess himself, that he was nearer whip'd this 
time than he was at any other, for I know that 
all the world couldn't make him acknowledge that 
he was pointedly whip'd. I know I was mighty 
glad when it was over, and the savages quit us, 
for I had begun to think there was one behind 
every tree in the woods. 

4- We buried our dead, the number of whom I 
have also forgotten ; and again made horse litters 
to carry our wounded, and so we put out, and re- 
turned to Fort Williams, from which place we had 
started. In the mean time, my horse had got crip- 
pled, and was unfit for service, and as another rein- 
forcement had arrived, I thought they could get 
along without me for a short time; so I got a furlough 
and went home, for we had had hard times again 
on this hunt, and I began to feel as though I had 



100 THL LIFE OF 

done Indian fighting enough for one time. I re- 
mained at home until after the army had returned 
to the Horse-shoe bend, and fought the battle 
there. But not being with them at that time, ot 
course no history of that fight can be expected 
of me. 



DAVID CROCKETT. JQl 



CHAPTER VII. 

Soon after this, an army was to be raised to go 
to Pensacola, and I determined to go again with 
them, for I wanted a small taste of British fight- 
ing, and I supposed they would be there. 

Here again the entreaties of my wife were 
thrown in the way of my going, but all in vain; 
for I always had a way of just going ahead, at 
whatever I had a mind to. . One of my neigh- 
bours, hearing I had determined to go, came to 
me, and offered me a hundred dollars to go in 
his place as a substitute, as he had been drafted. 
I told him I was better raised than to hire myself 
out to be shot at ; but that I would go, and he 
should go too, and in that way the government 
would have the services of us both. But we 
didn't call GeneralJackson "the government" in 
those days, though we used to go and fight un- 
der him in the war. 

I fixed up, and joined old Major Russel again ; 
but we couldn't start with the main army, but 
i2 



102 THE LIFE OF 

followed on, in a little time, after them. In a 
day or two, we had a hundred and thirty men 
in our company; and we went over and crossed 
the Muscle Shoals at the same place where I had 
crossed when first out, and where we burned the 
Black Warriors' town. We passed through the 
Choctaw and Chickesaw nations, on to Fort Ste- 
phens, and from thence to what is called the 
Cut-off, at the junction of the Tom-Bigby with 
the Alabama river. This place is near the old 
Fort Mimms, where the Indians committed the 
great butchery at the commencement of the war. 
We were here about two days behind the main 
army, who had left their horses at the Cut-off, 
and taken it on foot ; and they did this because 
there was no chance for forage between there 
and Pensacola. We did the same, leaving men 
enough to take care of our horses, and cut out 
on foot for that place. It was about eighty miles 
off; but in good heart we shouldered our guns, 
blankets, and provisions, and trudged merrily on. 
About twelve o'clock the second day, we reached 
the encampment of the main army, which was 
situated on a hill, overlooking the city of Pen- 
sacola. My commander. Major Russel, was a 
great favourite with Gen'l. Jackson, and our arri- 
val was hailed with great applause, though we 



DAVID CROCKETT. 103 

were a little after the feast ; for they had taken 
the town and fort before we got there. That even- 
ing we went down into the town, and could see 
the British fleet lying in sight of the place. We 
got some liquor, and took a '^ horn" or so, and 
went back to the camp. We remained there that 
night, and in the morning we marched back to- 
wards the Cut-off. We pursued this direction till we 
reached old Fort Mimms, where we remained two 
or three days. It was here that Major Russel was 
promoted from his command, which was only that 
of a captain ^f spies, to the command of a major 
in the line. He had been known long before at 
home as old Major Russel, and so we all con- 
tinued to call him in the army. A Major Childs, 
from East Tennessee, also commanded a battalion, 
and his and the one Russel was now appointed to 
command, conxposed a regiment, which, by agree- 
ment with General Jackson, was to quit his army 
and go to the south, to kill up the Indians on the 
Scamby river. 

General Jackson and the main army set out 
the next morning for New Orleans, and a Colonel 
Blue took command of the regiment which I 
have before described. We remained, however, 
a few days after the general's departure, and then 
started also on our route. 



[04 THE LIFE OF 

As it gave rise to so much war and blood- 
shed, it may not be improper here to give a little 
description of Fort Mimms, and the manner in 
which the Indian war commenced. The fort was 
built right in the middle of a large old field, and 
in it the people had been forted so long and so 
quietly, that they didn't apprehend any danger at 
all, and had, therefore, become quite careless. A 
small negro boy, whose business it was to bring 
up the calves at milking time, had been out for 
that purpose, and on coming back, he said he saw 
a great many Indians. At this the inhabitants 
took the alarm, and closed their gates and placed 
out their guards, which they continued for a few 
days. But finding that no attack was made, they 
concluded the little negro had lied ; and again 
threw their gates open, and set all their hands out 
to work their fields. The same boy was out again 
on the same errand, when-, returning in great 
haste and alarm, he informed them that he had 
seen the Indians as thick as trees in the woods. 
He was not believed, but was tucked up to receive 
a flogging for the supposed lie ; and was actually 
getting badly licked at the very moment when 
the Indians came in a troop, loaded with rails, 
with which they stop'd all the port-holes of the 
fort on one side except the bastion j and then they 



DAVID CROCKETT. 105 

fell in to cutting clown the picketing. Those in- 
side the fort had only the bastion to shoot from, 
as all the other holes were spiked up ; and they 
shot several of the Indians, while engaged in cut- 
ting. But as fast as one would fall, another would 
seize up the axe and chop away, until they suc- 
ceeded in cutting down enough of the picketing 
to admit them to enter. They then began to rush 
through, and continued until they were all in. 
They immediately commenced scalping, without 
regard to age or sex ; having forced the inhabit- 
ants up to one side of the fort, where they carried 
on the work of death as a butcher would in a 
slaughter pen. 

The scene was particularly described to me by 
a young man who was in the fort when it hap- 
pened, and subsequently went on with us to Pensa- 
cola. He said that he saw his father, and mother, 
his four sisters, and the same number of brothers, 
all butchered in the most shocking manner, and 
that he made his escape by running over the heads 
of the crowd, who were against the fort wall, to 
the top of the fort, and then jumping off, and 
taking to the woods. He was closely pursued by 
several Indians, until he came to a small byo, 
across which there was a log. He knew the log 
was hollow on the under side, so he slip'd under 



106 THE LIFE OF 

the log and hid himself. He said he heard the 
Indians walk over him several times back and 
forward. He remained, nevertheless, still till 
night, when he came out, and finished his escape. 
The name of this young man has entirely escaped 
my recollection, though his tale greatly excited 
my feelings. But to return to my subject. The 
regiment marched from where Gen'l. Jackson had 
left us to Fort Montgomery, which was distant 
from Fort Mimms about a mile and a half, and 
there we remained for some days. 

Here we supplied ourselves pretty well with 
beef, by killing wild cattle which had formerly 
belonged to the people who perished in the fort, 
but had gone wild after their massacre. 
I When we marched from Fort Montgomery, we 
went some distance back towards Pensacola ; then 
we turned to the left, and passed through a poor 
piny country, till we reached the Scamby river, 
near which we encamped. We had about one 
thousand men, and as a part of that number, one 
hundred and eighty-six Chickesaw and Choctaw 
Indians with us. That evening a boat landed 
from Pensacola, bringing many articles that were 
both good and necessary ; such as sugar and coffee, 
and liquors of all kinds. The same evening, the 
Indians we had along proposed to cross the river, 



DAVID fJROCKETT. 1 07 

and the officers thinking it might be well for them 
to do so, consented ; and Major Russell went 
with them, taking sixteen white men, of which 
number I was one. We camped on the opposite 
bank that night, and early in the morning we set 
out. We had not gone far before we came to a 
place where the whole country was covered with 
water, and looked like a sea. We didn't stop for 
this, tho', but just put in like so many spaniels, 
and waded on, sometimes up to our armpits, until 
we reached the pine hills, which made our dis- 
tance through the water about a mile and a half. 
Here we struck up a fire to warm ourselves, for it 
was cold, and we were chilled through by being 
so long in the water. We again moved on, keep- 
ing our spies out ; two to our left near the bank of 
.the river, two straight before us, and two others on 
our right. We had gone in this way about six miles 
up the river, when our spies on the left came to 
us leaping the brush like so many old bucks, and 
informed us that they had discovered a camp of 
Creek Indians, and that we must kill them. Here 
we paused for a few minutes, and the prophets 
pow-wowed over their men awhile, and then got 
out their paint, and painted them, all according to 
their custom when going into battle. They then 
brought their paint to old Major Russell, and said 



108 THE LIFE OF 

to him, that as he was an officer, he must be paint- 
ed too. He agreed, and they painted him just as 
they had done themselves. We let the Indians 
understand that we white men would first fire on 
the camp, and then fall back, so as to give the In- 
dians a chance to rush in and scalp them. The 
Chickasaws marched on our left hand, and the 
Choctaws on our right, and we moved on till we 
got in hearing of the camp, where the Indians 
w^ere employed in beating up what they called 
chainy briar root. On this they mostly sub- 
sisted. On a nearer approach we found they were 
on an island, and that we could get to them. 
While we were chatting about this matter, we 
heard some guns fired, and in a very short time 
after a keen whoop, which satisfied us, that where- 
ever it was, there was war on a small scale. With 
that we all broke, like quarter horses, for the 
firing ; and when we got there we found it was 
our two front spies, who related to us the following 
story : — As they were moving on, they had met 
with two Creeks who were out hunting their 
horses ; as they approached each other, there was a 
large cluster of green bay bushes exactly between 
them, so that they were within a few feet of meet- 
ing before either was discovered. Our spies 
walked up to them, and speaking in the Shawnee 



DAVID CROCKETT. X09 

tongue, informed them that General Jackson was 
at Pensacola, and they were making their escape, 
and wanted to know where they could get some- 
thing to eat. The Creeks told them that nine 
miles up the Conaker, the river they were then 
on, there was a large camp of Creeks, and they 
had cattle and plenty to eat ; and further, that 
their own camp was on an island about a mile off, 
and just below the mouth of the Conaker. They 
held their conversation and struck up a fire, and 
smoked together, and shook hands, and parted. 
One of the Creeks had a gun, the other had none ; 
and as soon as they had parted, our Choctaws turned 
round and shot down the one that had the gun, 
and the other attempted to run off. They snapped 
several times at him, but the gun still missing fire, 
they took after him, and overtaking him, one of 
them struck him over the head with his gun, and 
followed up his blows till he killed him. 

The gun was broken in the combat, and they 
then fired off the gun of the Creek they had killed, 
and raised the war-whoop. When we reached 
them, they had cut off the heads of both the In- 
dians ; and each of those Indians with us would 
walk up to one of the heads, and taking his war 
club would strike on it. This was done by every 
one of them ; and when they had got done, I took 
K 



no THE LIFE OF 

one of their clubs, and walked up as they had 
done, and struck it on the head also. At this they 
all gathered round me, and patting me on the 
shoulder, would call me " Warrior — warrior." 

They scalped the heads, and then we moved on 
a short distance to where we found a trace leading 
in towards the river. We took this trace and 
pursued it, till we came to where a Spaniard had 
been killed and scalped, together with a woman, 
who we supposed to be his wife, and also four 
children. I began to feel mighty ticklish along 
about this time, for I knowed if there was no dan- 
ger then, there had been ; and I felt exactly like 
there still was. We, however, went on till we 
struck the river, and then continued down it till 
we came opposite to the Indian camp, where we 
found they were still beating their roots. 

It was now late in the evening, and they were 
in a thick cane brake. We had some few friendly 
Creeks with us, who said they could decoy them. 
So we all hid behind trees and logs, while the at- 
tempt was made. The Indians would not agree 
that we should fire, but pick'd out some of their 
best gunners, and placed them near the river. 
Our Creeks went down to the river's side, and 
hailed the camp m the Creek language. We heard 
an answer, and an Indian man started down to- 



DAVID CROCKETT m 

wards the river, but didn't come in sight. He 
went back and again commenced beating his roots, 
and sent a squaw. She came down, and talked 
with our Creeks until dark came on. They told 
her they wanted her to bring them a canoe. To 
which she replied, that their canoe was on our 
side ; that two of their men had gone out to hunt 
their horses and hadn't yet returned. They were 
the same two we had killed. The canoe was 
found, and forty of our picked Indian warriors 
were crossed over to take the camp. There was 
at last only one man in it, and he escaped ; and 
they took two squaws, and ten children, but 
killed none of them, of course. 

We had run nearly out of provisions, and Ma- 
jor Russell had determined to go up the Conaker 
to the camp we had heard of from the Indians we 
had killed. I was one that he selected to go down 
the river that night for provisions, with the canoe, 
to where we had left our regiment. I took with 
me a man by the name of John Guess, and one 
of the friendly Creeks, and cut out. It was very 
dark, and the river was so full that it overflowed 
the banks and the adjacent low bottoms. This 
rendered it very difficult to keep the channel, and 
particularly as the river was very crooked. At 
about ten o'clock at night we reached the camp, 



112 '^HE LIFE OF 

and were to return by morning to Major Russell, 
with provisions for his trip up the river ; but on 
informing Colonel Blue of this arrangement, he 
vetoed it as quick as General Jackson did the 
bank bill ; and said, if Major Russell didn't come 
back the next day, it would be bad times for him. 
I found we were not to go up the Conaker to the 
Indian camp, and a man of my company offered to 
go up in my place to inform Major Russell. I let 
him go ; and they reached the major, as 1 was told, 
about sunrise in the morning, who immediately 
returned with those who were with him to the 
regiment, and joined us where we crossed the 
river, as hereafter stated. 

The next morning we all fixed up, and marched 
down the Scamby to a place called Miller's Land- 
ing, where we swam our horses across, and sent 
on two companies down on the side of the bay 
opposite to Pensacola, where the Indians had fled 
when the main army first marched to that place. 
One was the company of Captain William Russell, 
a son of the old major, and the other was com- 
manded by a Captain Trimble. They went on, and 
had a little skirmish with the Indians. They killed 
some, and took all the balance prisoners, though 
I don't remember the numbers. We again met 
those companies in a day or two, and sent the pri- 



DAVID CROCKETT. ^13 

soners they had taken on to Fort Montgomery, 
in charge of some of our Indians. 

I did hear, that after they left us, the Indians 
killed and scalped all tlie prisoners, and I never 
heard the report contradicted. I cannot positively 
say it was true, but I think it entirely probable, 
for it is very much like the Indian character. 



r2 



/ 



THE LIFE OF DAVID CROCKETT. II5 



CHAPTER VIII. 

When we made a move from the point where 
we met the companies, we set out for Chatahachy, 
the place for which we had started when we left 
Fort Montgomery. At the start we had taken 
only twenty days' rations of flour, and eight days' 
rations of beef ; and it was now thirty-four days 
before we reached that place. We were, therefore, 
in extreme suffering for want of something to eat, 
and exhausted with our exposure and the fatigues 
of our journey. I remember well, that I had not 
myself tasted bread but twice in nineteen days. 
I had bought a pretty good supply of coffee from 
the boat that had reached us from Pensacola, on 
the Scamby, and on that we chiefly subsisted. 
At length, one night our spies came in, and in- 
formed us they had found Holm's village on the 
Chatahachy river ; and we made an immediate 
push for that place. We traveled all night, ex- 
pecting to get something to eat when we got 
there. We arrived about sunrise, and near the 



115 THE LIFE OF 

place prepared for battle. We were all so furious, 
that even the certainty of a pretty hard fight 
could not have restrained us. We made a furious 
charge on the town, but to our great mortification 
and surprise, there wasn't a human being in it. 
The Indians had all run off* and left it. We 
burned the town, however ; but, melancholy to 
tell, we found no provision whatever. We then 
turned about, and went back to the camp we had 
left the night before, as nearly starved as any set 
of poor fellows ever were in the world. 

We staid there only a little while, when we 
divided our regiment ; and Major Childs, with 
his men, went back the way we had come for a 
considerable distance, and then turned to Baton- 
Rouge, where they joined General Jackson and 
the main army on their return from Orleans. 
Major Russell and his men struck for Fort Decatur, 
on the Talapoosa river. Some of our friendly 
Indians, who knew the country, went on ahead of 
us, as we had no trail except the one they made 
to follow. With them we sent some of our ablest 
horses and men, to get us some provisions, to pre- 
vent us from absolutely starving to death. As 
the army marched, I hunted every day, and would 
kill every hawk, bird, and squirrel that I could 
find. Others did the same j and it was a rule 



DAVID CROCKETT. Hj 

with us, that when we stop'd at night, the hunters 
would throw all they killed in a pile, and then 
we would make a general division among all the 
men. One evening I came in, having killed no- 
thing that day. I had a very sick man in my 
mess, and I wanted something for him to eat, even 
if I starved myself. So I went to the fire of a 
Captain Cowen, who commanded my company 
after the promotion of Major Russell, and informed 
him that I was on the hunt of something for a 
sick man to eat. I knowed the captain was as 
bad off as the rest of us, but I found him broiling 
a turkey's gizzard. He said he had divided the 
turkey out among the sick, that Major Smiley had 
killed it, and that nothing else had been killed 
that day. I immediately went to Smiley's fire, 
where I found him broiling another gizzard. I 
told him, that it w^as the first turkey I had ever 
seen have two gizzards. But so it was, I got 
nothing for my sick man. And now seeing that 
every fellow must shift for himself, I determined 
that in the morning, I would come up missing ; 
so I took my mess and cut out to go ahead of the 
army. We know'd that nothing more could 
happen to us if we went than if we staid, for 
it looked like it was to be starvation any way ; 
we therefore determined to go on the old saying, 



j]^Q THE LIFE OF 

root hog or die. Wc passed two camps, at which 
our men, that had gone on before us, had killed 
Indians. At one they had killed nine, and at 
the other three. About daylight we came to a 
small river, which I thought was the Scamby ; but 
we continued on for three days, killing little or 
nothing to eat ; till, at last, we all began to get 
nearly ready to give up the ghost, and lie down 
and die ; for we had no prospect of provision, and 
we knew we couldn't go much further without it. 

We came to a large prairie, that was about six 
miles across it, and in this I saw a trail which I 
knowed was made by bear, deer, and turkeys. 
We went on through it till we came to a large 
creek, and the low grounds were all set over with 
wild rye, looking as green as a wheat field. We 
here made a halt, unsaddled our horses, and turn- 
ed them loose to graze. 

One of my companions, a Mr. Vanzant, and my- 
self, then went up the low grounds to hunt. We 
had gone some distance, finding nothing ; when 
at last, I found a squirrel ; which I shot, but he 
got into a hole in the tree. The game was small, 
but necessity is not very particular ; so I thought 
I must have him, and I climbed that tree thirty 
feet high, without a limb, and pulled him out of 
his hole. I shouldn't relate such small matters. 



DAVID CROCKETT. Hg 

only to show what lengths a hungry man will go 
to, to get something to eat. I soon killed two 
other squirrels, and fired at a large hawk. At 
this a large gang of turkeys rose from the cane 
brake, and flew across the creek to where my 
friend was, who had just before crossed it. He 
soon fired on a large gobler, and I heard it fall. 
By this time my gun was loaded again, and I saw 
one sitting on my side of the creek, which had 
flew over when he fired ; so I blazed away, and 
down I brought him. I gathered him up, and a 
fine turkey he was. I now began to think we had 
struck a breeze of luck, and almost forgot our past 
sufierings, in the prospect of once more having 
something to eat. I raised the shout, and my 
comrade came to me, and we went on to our 
camp with the game we had killed. While we 
were gone, two of our mess had been out, and 
each of them had found a bee tree. We turned 
into cooking some of our game, but we had nei- 
ther salt nor bread. Just at this moment, on 
looking down the creek, we saw our men, who 
had gone on before us for provisions, coming to 
us. They came up, and measured out to each 
man a cupfull of flower. With this, we thickened 
our soup, when our turkey was cooked, and our 
friends took dinner with us, and then went on. 



120 THE LIFE OF 

We now took our tomahawks, and went and cut 
our bee-trees, out of which we got a fine chance 
of honey ; though we had been starving so long 
that we feared to eat much at a time, till, like the 
Irish by hanging, we got used to it again. We 
rested that night without moving our camp ; and 
the next morning myself and Vanzant again 
turned out to hunt. We had not gone far, before 
I wounded a fine buck very badly ; and while pur- 
suing him, I was walking on a large tree that had 
fallen down, when from the top of it, a large bear 
broke out and ran off. I had no dogs, and I was 
sorry enough for it ; for of all the hunting I ever 
did, I have always delighted most in bear hunting. 
Soon after this, I killed a large buck ; and we had 
just gotten him to camp, when our poor starved 
army came up. They told us, that to lessen their 
sufferings as much as possible. Captain William 
Russell had had his horse led up to be shot for 
them to eat, just at the moment that they saw our 
men returning, who had carried on the flour. 

We were now about fourteen miles from Fort 
Decatur, and we gave away all our meat, and 
honey, and went on with the rest of the army. 
When we got there, they could give us only one 
ration of meat, but not a mouthful of bread. I im- 
mediately got a canoe, and taking my gun, crossed 



DAVID CROCKETT. 121 

over the river, and went to the Big Warrior's 
town. I had a large hat, and I offered an Indian 
a silver dollar for my hat full of corn. He told 
me that his corn was all " shuestea,^^ which in 
English means, it was all gone. But he showed 
me where an Indian lived, who, he said, had corn. 
I went to him, and made the same offer. He could 
talk a little broken English, and said to me, " You 
got any powder ? You got bullet ?" I told him I 
had. He then said, " Me swap my corn, for 
powder and bullet.'^ I took out about ten bullets, 
and showed him ; and he proposed to give me a 
hat full of corn for them. I took him up, mighty 
quick. I then offered to give him ten charges of 
powder for another hat full of corn. To this he 
agreed very willingly. So I took off my hunting- 
shirt, and tied up my corn ; and though it had 
cost me very little of my powder and lead, yet I 
wouldn't have taken fifty silver dollars for it. I re- 
turned to the camp, and the next morning we start- 
ed for the Hickory Ground, which was thirty miles 
off. It was here that General Jackson met the In- 
dians, and made peace with the body of the nation. 
We got nothing to eat at this place, and we had 
yet to go forty-nine miles, over a rough and wil- 
derness country, to Fort Williams. Parched corn^ 
and but little even of that, was our daily subsist- 
L 



122 THE LIFE OF 

ence. When we reached Fort Williams, we got 
one ration of pork and one of flour, which was 
our only hope until we could reach Fort Strother. 

The horses were now giving out, and I remem- 
ber to have seen thirteen good horses left in one 
day, the saddles and bridles being thrown away. 
It was thirty-nine miles to Fort Strother, and we 
had to pass directly by Fort Talladego, where we 
first had the big Indian battle with the eleven 
hundred painted warriors. We went through the 
old battle ground, and it looked like a great gourd 
patch ; the sculls of the Indians who were killed 
still lay scattered all about, and many of their 
frames were still perfect, as the bones had not 
separated. But about five miles before we got to 
this battle ground, I struck a trail, which I followed 
until it led me to one of their towns. Here I swap'd 
some more of my powder and bullets for a little corn. 

I pursued on, by myself, till some time after 
night, when I came up with the rest of the army. 
That night my company and myself did pretty 
well, as I divided out my corn among them. The 
next morning we met the East Tennessee troops, 
who were on their road to Mobile, and my young- 
est brother was with them. They had plenty of 
corn and provisions, and they gave me what I 
wanted for myself and my horse. I remained 



DAVID CROCKETT. 123 

with them tlial night, though my company went 
across the Coosa river to tlic fort, where they also 
had the good fortune to find plenty of provisions. 
Next morning, I took leave of my brother and all 
my old neighbours, for there were a good many of 
them with him, and crossed over to my men at 
the fort. Here I had enough to go on, and after 
remaining a few days, cut out for home; Nothing 
more, worthy of the reader's attention, transpired 
till I was safely landed at home once more with 
my wife and children. I found them all well and 
doing well ; and though I was only a rough 
sort of a backwoodsman, they seemed mighty glad 
to see me, however little the quality folks might 
suppose it. For I do reckon we love as hard in 
the backwood country, as any people in the whole 
creation. 

But I had been home only a few days, when we 
received orders to start again, and go on to the 
Black Warrior and Cahawba rivers, to see if there 
was no Indians there. I know'd well enough there 
was none, and I wasn't willing to trust my craw 
any more where there was neither any fighting to 
do, nor any thing to go on; and so I agreed to give 
a young man, who wanted to go, the balance of my 
wages if he would serve out my time, which was 
about a month. He did so, and when they returned. 



124 "^HE LIFE OF 

sure enough they hadn't seen an Indian any more 
than if they had been all the time chopping wood 
in my clearing. This closed my career as a warrior, 
and I am glad of it, for I like life now a heap bet- 
ter than I did then ; and I am glad all over that I 
lived to see these times, which I should not 
have done if I had kept fooling along in war, and 
got used up at it. When I say I am glad, I just 
mean I am glad I am alive, for there is a confound- 
ed heap of things I an't glad of at all. I an't glad, 
for example, that the " government" moved the 
deposites, and if my military glory should take 
such a turn as to make me president after the ge- 
neral's time, I '11 move them back ; yes, I, the 
" government," will " take the responsibility," 
and move them back again. If I don't, I wish I 
may be shot. 

But I am glad that I am now through war mat- 
ters, and I reckon the reader is too, for they have no 
fun in them at all ; and less if he had had to pass 
through them first,and then to write them afterwards. 
But for the dullness of their narrative, I must try 
to make amends by relating some of the curious 
things that happened to me in private life, and 
when forced to become a public man, as I shall 
have to be again, if ever I consent to take the 
presidential chair. 



DAVID CROCKETT. 125 



CHAPTER IX. 

I CONTINUED at home now, working my farm 
for two years, as the war finally closed soon 
after I quit the service. The battle at New 
Orleans had already been fought, and treaties 
were made with the Indians which put a stop to 
their hostilitieso 

But in this time, I met with the hardest trial 
which ever falls to the lot of man. Death, that 
cruel leveller of all distinctions, — to whom the 
praj^ers and tears of husbands, and of even help- 
less infancy, are addressed in vain, — entered my 
humble cottage, and tore from my children an af- 
fectionate good mother, and from me a tender and 
loving wife. 

It is a scene long gone by, and one which it 
would be supposed I had almost forgotten ; yet 
when I turn my memory back on it, it seems as but 
the work of yesterday. It was the doing of the 
Almighty, whose ways are always right, though 
we sometimes think they fall heavily on us ; and 
l2 



126 THE LIFE OF 

as painful as is even yet the remembrance of her 
sufferings, and the loss sustained by my little chil- 
dren and myself, yet I have no wish to lift up the 
voice of complaint. L was left with three chil- 
dren ', the two oldest were sons, the youngest a 
daughter, and, at that time, a mere infant. It ap- 
peared to me, at that moment, that my situation 
was the worst in the world. I couldn't bear the 
thought of scattering my children, and so I got 
my youngest brother, who was also married, and 
his family to live with me. They took as good 
care of my children as they well could, but yet it 
wasn't all like the care of a mother. And though 
their company was to me in every respect like 
that of a brother and sister, yet it fell far short of 
being like that of a wife. So I came to the con- 
clusion it wouldn't do, but that I must have an- 
other wife. 

There lived in the neighbourhood, a widow lady 
whose husband had been killed in the war. She 
had two children, a son and daughter, and both 
quite small, like my own. I began to think, that 
as we were both in the same situation, it might be 
that we could do something for each other ; and I 
therefore began to hint a little around the matter, 
as we were once and a while together. She was a 
good industrious woman, and owned a snug little 



DAVID CROCKETT. 127 

farm, and lived quite comfortable. I soon began 
to pay my respects to her in real good earnest ; 
but I was as sly about it as a fox when he is going 
to rob a hen-roost. I found that my company 
wasn't at all disagreeable to her ; and I thought I 
could treat her children with so much friendship 
as to make her a good stepmother to mine, and in 
this I wan't mistaken, as we soon bargained, and 
got married, and then went ahead. In a great 
deal of peace we raised our first crop of chil- 
dren, and they are all married and doing well. But 
we had a second crop together ; and I shall notice 
them as I go along, as my wife and myself both 
had a hand in them, and they therefore belong to 
the history of my second marriage. 

The next fall after this marriage, three of my 
neighbours and myself determined to explore a 
new country. Their names were Robinson, Fra- 
zier, and Rich. We set out for the Creek country, 
crossing the Tennessee river ; and after having 
made a day's travel, we stop'd at the house of one 
of my old acquaintances, who had settled there 
after the war. Resting here a day, Frazier turned 
out to hunt, being a great hunter ; but he got 
badly bit by a very poisonous snake, and so we 
left him and went on. We passed through a large 
rich valley, called Jones's valley, where several 



128 "^I^^ I^I^E OF 

other families had settled, and continued our 
course till we came near to the place where Tus- 
caloosa now stands. Here we camped, as there 
were no inhabitants, and hobbled out our horses 
for the night. About two hours before day, we 
heard the bells on our horses going back the way 
we had come, as they had started to leave us. 
As soon as it was daylight, I started in pursuit of 
them on foot, and carrying my rifle, which was a 
very heavy one. I went ahead the whole day, 
wading creeks and swamps, and climbing moun- 
tains ; but I couldn't overtake our horses, though 
I could hear of them at every house they passed. 
I at last found I couldn't catch up with them, and 
so I gave up the hunt, and turned back to the last 
house I had passed, and staid there till morning. 
From the best calculation we could make, I had 
walked over fifty miles that day ; and the next 
morning I was so sore, and fatigued, that I felt 
like I couldn't walk any more. But I was anxious 
to get back to where I had left my company, and 
so I started and went on, but mighty slowly, till 
after the middle of the day. I now began to 
feel mighty sick, and had a dreadful head-ache. 
My rifle was so heavy, and I felt so weak, that I 
lay down by the side of the trace, in a perfect 
wilderness too, to see if I wouldn't get better. 



DAVID CROCKETT. 129 

In a short time some Indians came along. They 
had some ripe melons, and wanted me to eat 
some, but I was so sick I couldn't. They then 
signed to me, that I would die, and be buried ; 
a thing I was confoundedly afraid of myself. 
But I asked them how near it was to any house ? 
By their signs, again, they made me understand it 
was a mile and a half. I got up to go ; but when 
I rose, I reeled about like a cow with the blind 
staggers, or a fellow who had taken too many 
" horns." One of the Indians proposed to go 
with me, and carry my gun. I gave him half a 
dollar, and accepted his offer. We got to the 
house, by which time I was pretty far gone, but 
was kindly received, and got on to a bed. The 
woman did all she could for me with her warm 
teas, but I still continued bad enough, with a high 
fever, and generally out of my senses. The next 
day two of my neighbours were passing the road, 
and heard of my situation, and came to where I 
was. They were going nearly the route I had 
intended to go, to look at the country j and so 
they took me first on one of their horses, and 
then on the other, till they got me back to where 
r had left my company. I expected I would get 
better, and be able to go on with them, but, instead 
of this, I got worse and worse j and when we got 



130 THE LIFE OF 

there, I wan't able to sit up at all. I thought 
now the jig was mighty nigh up with me, but I 
determined to keep a stiff upper lip. They car- 
ried me to a house, and each of my comrades 
bought him a horse, and they all set out together, 
leaving me behind. I knew but little that was 
going on for about two weeks ; but the family 
treated me with every possible kindness in their 
power, and I shall always feel thankful to them. 
The man's name was Jesse Jones. At the end of 
two weeks I began to mend without the help of a 
doctor, or of any doctor's means. In this time, 
however, as they told me, I was speechless for 
five days, and they had no thought that I would 
ever speak again, — in Congress or any where else. 
And so the woman, who had a bottle of Bates- 
man's draps, thought if they killed me, I would 
only die any how, and so she would try it with 
me. She gave me the whole bottle, which 
throwed me into a sweat that continued on me 
all night ; when at last I seemed to make up, and 
spoke, and asked her for a drink of water. This 
almost alarmed her, for she was looking every 
minute for me to die. She gave me the water, 
and, from that time, I began slowly to mend, and 
so kept on till I was able at last to walk about a 
little. I might easily have been mistaken for 



DAVID CROCKETT. 131 

one of the Kitchen Cabinet, I looked so much 
like a ghost. I have been particular in giving a 
history of this sickness, not because I believe it 
will interest any body much now, nor, indeed, 
do I certainly know that it ever will. But if I 
should be forced to take the " white house," then 
it will be good history ; and every one will look 
on it as important. And I can't, for my life, help 
laughing now, to think, that when all my folks 
get around me, wanting good fat offices, how so 
many of them will say, "What a good thing it 
was that that kind woman had the bottle of draps, 
that saved President Crockett's life, — the se- 
cond greatest and best"! ! ! ! ! Good, says I, 
my noble fellow ! You take the post office ; or 
the navy ; or the war office ; or may-be the 
treasury. But if I give him the treasury, there's 
no devil if I don't make him agree first to fetch 
back them deposites. And if it's even the post- 
office, I'll make him promise to keep his money 
'counts without any figuring, as that throws the 
whole concern heels over head in debt, in little 
or no time. 

But when I got so I could travel a little, I got 
a waggoner who was passing along to hawl me 
to where he lived, which was about twenty miles 
from my house. I still mended as we went along, 



132 THE LIFE OF 

and when we got to his stopping place, I hired 
one of his horses, and went on home. I was so 
pale, and so much reduced, that my face looked 
like it had been half soled with brown paper. 

When I got there, it was to the utter astonish- 
ment of my wife ; for she supposed I was dead. 
My neighbours who had started with me had re- 
turned and took my horse home, which they 
had found with their's ; and they reported that 
they had seen men who had helped to bury me ; 
and who saw me draw my last breath. I know'd 
this was a whapper of a lie, as soon as I heard it. 
My wife had hired a man, and sent him out to see 
what had become of my money and other things ; 
but I had missed the man as I went in, and he 
didn't return until some time after I got home, 
as he went all the way to where I lay sick, before 
he heard that I was still in the land of the living 
and a-kicking. 

The place on which I lived was sickly, and I 
was determined to leave it. I therefore set out 
the next fall to look at the country which had 
been purchased of the Chickasaw tribe of Indians. 
I went on to a place called Shoal Creek, about 
eighty miles from where I lived, and here again 
I got sick. I took the ague and fever, which I 
supposed was brought on me by camping out. I 



DAVID CROCKETT 133 

remained here for some time, as I was unable to 
go farther ; and in that time, I became so well 
pleased with the country about there, that T re- 
solved to settle in it. It was just only a little dis- 
tance in the purchase, and no order had been es- 
tablished there ; but I thought I could get along 
without order as well as any body else. And so I 
moved and settled myself down on the head of 
Shoal Creek. We remained here some two or 
three years, without any law at all ; and so many 
bad characters began to flock in upon us, that we 
found it necessary to set up a sort of temporary 
government of our own. I don't mean that we 
made any president, and called him the " govern- 
ment," but we met and made what we called a 
corporation ; and I reckon we called it wrong, 
for it wa'n't a bank, and hadn't any deposites ; 
and now they call the bank a corporation. But 
be this as it may, we lived in the back-woods, and 
didn't profess to know much, and no doubt used 
many wrong words. But we met, and appointed 
magistrates and constables to keep order. We 
didn't fix any laws for them, tho' ; for we sup- 
posed they would know law enough, whoever 
they might be ; and so we left it to themselves to 
fix the laws. 

I was appointed one of the magistrates ; and 
M 



134 THE LIFE OF 

when a man owed a debt, and wouldn't pay 
it, I and my constable ordered our warrant, and 
then he would take the man, and bring him be- 
fore me for trial. I would give judgment against 
him, and then an order of an execution would 
easily scare the debt out of him. If any one was 
charged with marking his neighbour's hogs, or 
with stealing any thing, which happened pretty 
often in those days, — I would have him taken, and 
if there was tolerable grounds for the charge, I 
would have him well whip'd and cleared. We 
kept this up till our Legislature added us to 
the white settlements in Giles county ; and ap- 
pointed magistrates by law, to organize matters in 
the parts where I lived. They appointed nearly 
every man a magistrate who had belonged to our 
corporation. I was then, of course, made a squire 
according to law ; though now the honour rested 
more heavily on me than before. For, at first, 
whenever I told my constable, says I — " Catch that 
fellow, and bring him up for trial" — away he went, 
and the fellow must come, dead or alive ; for we 
considered this a good warrant, though it was only 
in verbal writings. But after I was appointed 
by the assembly, they told me, my warrants must 
be in real writing, and signed ; and that I must 
keep a book, and write my proceedings in it. 



DAVID CROCKETT. ^35 

This was a hard business on me, for I could just 
barely write my own name ; but to do this, and 
write the warrants too, was at least a huckle- 
berry over my persimmon. I had a pretty 
well informed constable, however ; and he aided 
me very much in this business. Indeed I had so 
much confidence in him, that I told him, when we 
should happen to be out anywhere, and see that 
a warrant was necessary, and would have a good 
effect, he need'nt take the trouble to come all 
the way to me to get one, but he could just fill 
out one ; and then on the trial I could correct the 
whole business if he had committed any error. In 
this way I got on pretty well, till by care and at- 
tention I improved my handwriting in such man- 
ner as to be able to prepare my warrants, and keep 
my record book, without much difficulty. My 
judgments were never appealed from, and if they 
had been they would have stuck like wax, as I 
gave my decisions on the principles of common 
justice and honesty between man and man, and 
relied on natural born sense, and not on law, 
learning to guide me ; for I had never read a 
page in a law book in all my life. 



THE LIFE OF DAVID CROCKETT. 137 



CHAPTER X. 

About the time we were getting under good 
headway in our new governmentj a Capt. Mat- 
thews came to me and told me he was a candidate 
for the office of colonel of a regiment, and that I 
must run for first major in the same regiment. I 
objected to this, telling him that I thought I had 
done my share of fighting, and that I wanted no- 
thing to do with military appointments. 

He still insisted, until at last I agreed, and of 
course had every reason to calculate on his support 
in my election. He was an early settler in that 
country, and made rather more corn than the rest 
of us ; and knowing it would afford him a good 
opportunity to electioneer a little, he made a great 
corn husking, and a great frolic, and gave a gene- 
ral treat, asking every body over the whole coun- 
try. Myself and my family were, of course, in- 
vited. When I got there, I found a very large col- 
lection of people, and some friend of mine soon 
informed me that the captain's son was going to 
m2 



138 THE LIFE OF 

offer against me for the office of major, which he 
had seemed so anxious for me to get. I cared 
nothing about the office, but it put my dander up 
high enough to see, that after he had pressed me 
so hard to offer, he was countenancing, if not en- 
couraging, a secret plan to beat me. I took the 
old gentleman out, and asked him about it. He 
told me it was true his son was going to run 
as a candidate, and that he hated worse to run 
against me than any man in the county. I told 
him his son need give himself no uneasiness about 
that ; that I shouldn't run against him for major, 
but against his daddy for colonel. He took me 
by the hand, and we went into the company. He 
then made a speech, and informed the people that 
I was his opponent. I mounted up for a speech 
too. I told the people the cause of my opposing 
him, remarking that as I had the whole family to 
run against any way, I was determined to levy on 
the head of the mess. When the time for the elec- 
tion came, his son was opposed by another man for 
major ; and he and his daddy were both badly 
beaten. I just now began to take a rise, as in a 
little time I was asked to offer for the Legislature 
in the counties of Lawrence and Heckman. 

I offered my name in the month of February, 
and started about the first of March with a drove 



DAVID CROCKETT. X39 

of horses to the lower part of the state of North 
Carolina. This was in the year 1821, and I was 
gone upwards of three months. I returned, and 
set out electioneering, which was a bran-fire new 
business to me. It now became necessary that I 
should tell the people something about the govern- 
ment, and an eternal sight of other things that I 
knowed nothing more about than I did about Latin, 
and law, and such things as that. I have said be- 
fore that in those days none of us called Gen'l. 
Jackson the government, nor did he seem in as 
fair a way to become so as I do now ; but I knowed 
so little about it, that if any one had told me he 
was "the government," I should have believed it, 
for I had never read even a newspaper in my life, 
or any thing else, on the subject. But over all my 
difficulties, it seems to me I was born for luck, 
though it would be hard for any one to guess what 
•sort. I will, however, explain that hereafter. 

I went first into Heckman county, to see what I 
could do among the people as a candidate. Here 
they told me that they wanted to move their town 
nearer to the centre of the county, and I must 
come out in favour of it. There's no devil if I 
knowed what this meant, or how the town was to 
be moved ; and so I kept dark, going on the iden- 
tical same plan that I now find is called " non- 



140 THE LIFE OF 

coinmiitaiy About this time there was a great 
squirrel hunt on Duck river, which was among my 
people. They were to hunt two days : then to 
meet and count the scalps, and have a big barbe- 
cue, and what might be called a tip-top country 
frolic. The dinner, and a general treat, was all to 
be paid for by the party having taken the fewest 
scalps. I joined one side, taking the place of one 
of the hunters, and got a gun ready for the hunt. 
I killed a great many squirrels, and when we 
counted scalps, my party was victorious. 

The company had every thing to eat and drink 
that could be furnished in so new a country, and 
much fun and good humour prevailed. But be- 
fore the regular frolic commenced, I mean the 
dancing, I was called on to make a speech as a can- 
didate ; which was a business I was as ignorant of 
as an outlandish negro. 

A public document I had never seen, nor did I 
know there were such things ; and how to begin I 
couldn't tell. I made many apologies, and tried to 
get off, for I know'd I had a man to run against 
who could speak prime, and I know'd, too, that I 
wa'n't able to shuffle and cut with him. He was 
there, and knowing my ignorance as well as I did 
myself, he also urged me to make a speech. The 
truth is, he thought my being a candidate was a 



DAVID CROCKETT. 14;^ 

mere matter of sport; and didn't think, for a mo- 
ment, that he was in any danger from an ignorant 
back-woods bear hunter. But I found I couldn't 
get off, and so I determined just to go ahead, and 
leave it to chance what I should say. I got up 
and told the people, I reckoned they know'd what 
I come for, but if not, I could tell them. I had 
come for their votes, and if they didn't watch 
mighty close, I'd get them too. But the worst 
of all was, that I couldn't tell them any thing about 
government. I tried to speak about something, 
and I cared very little what, until I choaked up as 
bad as if my mouth had been jam'd and cram'd 
chock full of dry mush. There the people stood, 
listening all the while, with their eyes, mouths 
and years all open, to catch every word I would 
speak. 

At last I told them I was like a fellow I had 
heard of not long before. He was beating on the 
head of an empty barrel near the road-side, when 
a traveler, who was passing along, asked him what 
he was doing that for ? The fellow replied, that 
there was some cider in that barrel a few days be- 
fore, and he was trying to see if there was any then, 
but if there was he couldn't get at it. I told them 
that there had been a little bit of a speech in me a 
while ago, but I believed I couldn't get it out. 



242 '^^^ ^^^E O^ 

They all roared out in a mighty laugh, and I told 
some other anecdotes, equally amusing to them, 
and believing I had them in a first-rate way, I quit 
and got down, thanking the people for their atten- 
tion. But I took care to remark that I was as dry 
as a powder horn, and that I thought it was time 
for us all to wet our whistles a little ; and so I put 
ofi* to the liquor stand, and was followed by the 
greater part of the crowd. 

I felt certain this was necessary, for I knowed 
my competitor could open government matters to 
them as easy as he pleased. He had, however, 
mighty few left to hear him, as I continued with 
the crowd, now and then taking a horn, and telling 
good humoured stories, till he was done speaking. 
I found I was good for the votes at the hunt, and 
when we broke up, I went on to the town of Ver- 
non, which was the same they wanted me to move. 
Here they pressed me again on the subject, and I 
found I could get either party by agreeing with 
them. But I told them I didn't know whether it 
would be right or not, and so couldn't promise 
either way. 

Their court commenced on the next Monday, as 
the barbacue was on a Saturday, and the candi- 
dates for governor and for Congress, as well as my 
competitor and myself, all attended. 



DAVID CROCKETT. 143 

The thought of having to make a speech made 
my knees feel mighty weak, and set my heart to 
fluttering almost as bad as my first love scrape with 
the Quaker's niece. But as good luck would have 
it, these big candidates spoke nearly all day, and 
when they quit, the people were worn out with 
fatigue, which afforded me a good apology for not 
discussing the government. But I listened mighty 
close to them, and was learning pretty fast about 
political matters. When they were all done, I got 
up and told some laughable story, and quit. I 
found I was safe in those parts, and so I went 
home, and didn't go back again till after the 
election was over. But to cut this matter short, 
I was elected, doubling my competitor, and nine 
votes over. 

A short time after this, I was in Pulaski, where 
I met with Colonel Polk, now a member of Con- 
gress from Tennessee. He was at that time a 
member elected to the Legislature, as well as my- 
self ; and in a large company he said to me, 
" Well, colonel, I suppose we shall have a radical 
change of the judiciary at the next session of the 
Legislature." "Very likely, sir," says I, and I 
put out quicker, for I was afraid some one would 
ask me what the judiciary was ; and if I knowed 
I wish I may be shot I don't indeed believe I had 



144 'THE LIFE OF 

ever before heard that there was any such thing 
in all nature ; but still I was not willing that the 
people there should know how ignorant I was 
about it. 

When the time for meeting of the Legislature 
arrived, I went on, and before I had been there 
long, I could have told what the judiciary was, 
and what the government was too ; and many 
other things that I had known nothing about be- 
fore. 

About this time I met with a very severe mis- 
fortune, which I may be pardoned for naming, as 
it made a great change in my circumstances, and 
kept me back very much in the world. I had 
built an extensive grist mill, and powder mill, all 
connected together, and also a large distillery. 
They had cost me upwards of three thousand 
dollars, more than I was worth in the world. 
The first news that I heard after I got to the 
Legislature, was, that my mills were — not blown 
up sky high, as you would guess, by my powder 
establishment, — but swept away all to smash by a 
large fresh, that came soon after I left home. I 
had, of course, to stop my distillery, as my grind- 
ing was broken up ; and, indeed, I may say, that 
the misfortune just made a complete mash of me. 
I had some likely negroes, and a good stock ot 



DAVID CROCKETT. J 45 

almost every thing about me, and, best of all, I 
had an honest wife. She didn't advise me, as is 
too fashionable, to smuggle up this, and that, and 
t'other, to go on at home ; but she told me, 
says she, "Just pay up, as long as you have a bit's 
worth in the world ; and then every body will 
be satisfied, and we will scuffle for more." This 
was just such talk as I wanted to hear, for a 
man's wife can hold him devlish uneasy, if she 
begins to scold, and fret, and perplex him, at a 
time when he has a full load for a rail-road car 
on his mind already. 

And so, you see, I determined not to break full 
handed, but thought it better to keep a good con- 
science with an empty purse, than to get a bad 
opinion of myself, vv^ith a full one. I therefore 
gave up all I had, and took a bran-fire new start. 



N 



THE LIFE OF DAVID CROCKETT. I47 



CHAPTER XI. 

Having returned from the Legislature, I de- 
termined to make another move, and so I took my 
eldest son with me, and a young man by the name 
of Abram Henry, and cut out for the Obion. I se- 
lected a spot when I got there, where I de- 
termined to settle ; and the nearest house to it 
was seven miles, the next nearest was fifteen, 
and so on to twenty. It was a complete wilder- 
ness, and full of Indians who were hunting. Game 
was plenty of almost every kind, which suited 
me exactly, as I was always fond of hunting. 
The house which was nearest me, and which, as I 
have already stated, was seven miles off, and on 
the different side of the Obion river, belonged to 
a man by the name of Owens ; and I started to 
go there. I had taken one horse along, to pack 
our provision, and when I got to the water I hob- 
bled him out to graze, until I got back ; as there 
was no boat to cross the river in, and it was so 



148 THE LIFE OF 

high that it had overflowed all the bottoms and 
low country near it. 

We now took water like so many beavers, not- 
withstanding it was mighty cold, and waded on. 
The water would sometimes be up to our necks, 
and at others not so deep ; but I went, of course, 
before, and carried a pole, with which I would feel 
along before me, to see how deep it was, and to 
guard against falling into a slough, as there was 
many in our way. When I would come to one, 
I would take out my tomahawk and cut a small 
tree across it, and then go ahead again. Fre- 
quently my little son would have to swim, even 
where myself and the young man could wade ; 
but we worked on till at last we got to the channel 
of the river, which made it about half a mile 
we had waded from where we took water. I 
saw a large tree that had fallen into the river 
from the other side, but it didn't reach across. 
One stood on the same bank where we were, that 
I thought I could fall, so as to reach the other ; 
and so at it we went with my tomahawk, cutting 
away till we got it down ; and, as good luck 
would have it, it fell right, and made us a way 
that we could pass. 

When we got over this, it was still a sea of 
water as far as our eyes could reach. We took 



DAVID CROCKETT. I49 

into it again, and went ahead, for about a mile, 
hardly ever seeing a single spot of land, and 
sometimes very deep. At last we come in sight 
of land, which was a very pleasing thing ; and 
when we got out, we went but a little way, be- 
fore we came in sight of the house, which was 
more pleasing than ever ; for we were wet all 
over, and mighty cold. I felt mighty sorry when 
I would look at my little boy, and see him shak- 
ing like he had the worst sort of an ague, for 
there was no time for fever then. As we got 
near to the house, we saw Mr. Owens and seve- 
ral men that were with him, just starting away. 
They saw us, and stop'd, but looked much asto- 
nished until we got up to them, and I made my- 
self known. The men who w^ere with him 
were the owners of a boat which was the first 
that ever went thai far up the Obion river ; 
and some hands he had hired to carry it about 
a hundred miles still further up, by water, tho' 
it was only about thirty by land, as the river is 
very crooked. 

They all turned back to the house with me, 
where I found Mrs. Owens, a fine, friendly old 
woman ; and her kindness to my little boy did 
me ten times as much good as any thing she 
could have done for me, if she had tried her 
n2 



150 THE LIFE OF 

best. The old gentleman set out his bottle to 
us, and I concluded that if a horn wasn't good 
then, there was no use for its invention. So I 
swig'd off about a half pint, and the young man 
was by no means bashful in such a case ; he took 
a strong pull at it too. I then gave my boy some, 
and in a little time we felt pretty well. We dried 
ourselves by the fire, and were asked to go on 
board of the boat that evening. I agreed to do 
so, but left my son with the old lady, and my- 
self and my young man went to the boat with: 
Mr. Owens and the others. The boat was load- 
ed with whiskey, flour, sugar, coffee, salt, cast- 
ings, and other articles suitable for the country ; 
and they were to receive five hundred dollars to 
land the load at M'Lemore's Bluff, beside the 
profit they could make on their load. This was 
merely to show that boats could get up to that 
point. We staid all night with them, and had a 
high night of it, as I took steam enough to drive 
out all the cold that was in me, and about three 
times as much more. In the morning we con- 
cluded to go on with the boat to where a great 
hurricane had crossed the river, and blowed all 
the timber down into it. When we got there, 
we found the river was falling fast, and con- 
cluded we couldn't get through the timber with- 



DAVID CROCKETT. 151 

out more rise ; so we dropM down opposite Mr. 
Owens' again, where they determined to wait for 
more water. 

The next day it rained rip-roriously, and the 
river rose pretty considerable, but not enough yet. 
And so I got the boatsmen all to go out with me to 
where I was going to settle, and we slap'd up a 
cabin in little or no time. I got from the boat 
four barrels of meal, and one of salt, and about ten 
gallons of whiskey. 

To pay for these, I agreed to go with the boat 
up the river to their landing place. I got also a 
large middling of bacon, and killed a fine deer, 
and left them for my young man and my little 
boy, who were to stay at my cabin till I got back; 
which I expected would be in six or seven days. 
We cut out, and moved up to the harricane, where 
we stop'd for the night. In the morning I started 
about daylight, intending to kill a deer, as I had 
no thought they would get the boat through the 
timber that day. I had gone but a little way be- 
fore I killed a fine buck, and started to go back to 
the boat ; but on the way I came on the tracks of a 
large gang of elks, and so I took after them. I had 
followed them only a little distance when I saw 
them, and directly after I saw two large bucks. I 
shot one down, and the other wouldn't leave him ; 



152 THE LIFE OF 

SO I loaded my gun, and shot him down too. 1 
hung them up, and went ahead again after my elks. 
I pursued on till after the middle of the day he- 
fore I saw them again ; but they took the hint be- 
fore I got in shooting distance, and run off. I still 
pushed on till late in the evening, when I found I 
was about four miles from where 1 had left the boat, 
and as hungry as a wolf, for I hadn't eaten a bite 
that day. 

I started down the edge of the river low grounds, 
giving out the pursuit of my elks, and hadn't gone 
hardly any distance at all, before I saw two more 
bucks, very large fellows too. I took a blizzard 
at one of them, and up he tumbled. The other 
ran off a few jumps and stop'd ; and stood there 
till I loaded again, and fired at him. I knock'd 
his trotters from under him, and then I hung 
them both up. I pushed on again ; and about 
sunset I saw three other bucks. I down'd with 
one of them, and the other two ran ofl'. I hung 
this one up also, having now killed six that day. 
I then pushed on till I got to the harricane, and 
at the lower edge of it, about where I expected 
the boat was. Here I hollered as hard as I could 
roar, but could get no answer. I fired off my gun, 
and the men on the boat fired one too ; but quite 
contrary/to my expectation, they had got through 



DAVID CROCKETT. 153 

the timber, and were about two miles above me. 
It was now dark, and I had to crawl through 
the fallen timber the best way I could ; and if 
the reader don't know it w^as bad enough, I am 
sure I do. For the vines and briers had grown 
all through it, and so thick, that a good fat coon 
couldn't much more than get along. I got 
through at last, and went on near to where I 
had killed my last deer, and once more fired off 
my gun, which was again answered from the boat, 
which was still a little above me. I moved on as 
fast as I could, but soon came to water, and not 
knowing how deep it was, I halted and hollered 
till they came to me with a skiff. I now got to the 
boat, without further difficulty ; but the briers had 
worked on me at such a rate, that I felt like I 
wanted sewing up, all over. I took a pretty stiff 
horn, which soon made me feel much better ; but 
I was so tired that I could hardly work my jaws 
to eat. 

In the morning, myself and a young man started 
and brought in the first buck I had killed ; and 
after breakfast we went and brought in the last 
one. The boat then started, but we again went 
and got the two I had killed just as I turned 
down the river in the evening ; and we then 
pushed on and overtook the boat, leaving the other 



154 THE LIFE OF 

two hanging in the woods, as wc had now as much 
as we wanted. 

We got up the river very well, but quite 
slow^ly ; and we landed, on the eleventh day, at 
the place the load was to be delivered at. They 
here gave me their skiff, and myself and a young 
man by tlie name of Flavins Harris, who had de- 
termined to go and live with me, cut out down 
the river for my cabin, which we reached safely 
enough. 

We turned in and cleared a field, and planted 
our corn ; but it was so late in the spring, we had 
no time to make rails, and therefore we put no 
fence around our field. There was no stock, how- 
ever, nor any thing else to disturb our corn, ex- 
cept the wild varvients, and the old serpent him- 
self, with a fence to help him, couldn't keep them 
out. I made corn enough to do me, and during 
that spring I killed ten bears, and a great abun- 
dance of deer. But in all this time, we saw the 
face of no white person in that country, except 
Mr. Owens' family, and a very few passengers, 
who went out there, looking at the country. In- 
dians, though, were still plenty enough. Having 
laid by my crap, I went home, which was a dis- 
tance of about a hundred and fifty miles ; and 
when I got there, I was met by an order to attend 



DAVID CROCKETT. I55 

a call-session of our Legislature. I attended it, 
and served out my time, and then returned, and 
took my family and what little plunder I had, 
and moved to where I had built my cabin, and 
made my crap. 

I gathered my corn, and then set out for my 
Fall's hunt. This was in the last of October, 1822. 
I found bear very plenty, and, indeed, all sorts of 
game and wild varments, except buffalo. There 
was none of them. I hunted on till Christmass, 
having supplied my family very well all along 
with wild meat, at which time my powder gave 
out ; and I had none either to fire Christmass guns, 
which is very common in that country, or to hunt 
with. I had a brother-in-law who had now moved 
out and settled about six miles west of me, on the 
opposite side of Rutherford's fork of the Obion 
river, and he had brought me a keg of powder, 
but I had never gotten it home. There had just 
been another of Noah's freshes, and the low 
grounds were flooded all over with water. I 
know'd the stream was at least a mile wide which 
I would have to cross, as the water was from hill 
to hill, and yet I determined to go on over in some 
way or other, so as to get my powder. I told this 
to my wife, and she immediately opposed it with 
all her might. 1 still insisted, telling her we had 



156 THE LIFE OF 

no powder for Christmass, and, worse than all, we 
were out of meat. She said, we had as well starve 
as for me to freeze to death or to get drowned, and 
one or the other was certain if I attempted to go. 

But I didn't believe the half of this ; and so I 
took my woolen wrappers, and a pair of mockasins, 
and put them on, and tied up some dry clothes and 
a pair of shoes and stockings, and started. But I 
didn't before know how much any body could 
suffer and not die. This, and some of my other 
experiments in water, learned me something about 
it, and I therefore relate them. 

The snow was about four inches deep when I 
started ; and when I got to the water, which was 
only about a quarter of a mile off, it look'd like an 
ocean. I put in, and waded on till I come to the 
channel, where I crossed that on a high log. I then 
took water again, having my gun and all my 
hunting tools along, and waded till I came to a 
deep slough, that was wider than the river itself. 
I had crossed it often on a log ; but, behold, when I 
got there, no log was to be seen. I knowed of an 
island in the slough, and a sapling stood on it 
close to the side of that log, which was now en- 
tirely under water. I knowed further, that the 
water was about eight or ten feet deep under the 
log, and I judged it to be about three feet deep 



DAVID CROCKETT. 157 

over it. After studying a little what I should do, 
I determined to cut a forked sapling, which stood 
near me, so as to lodge it against the one that 
stood on the island, in which I succeeded very- 
well. I then cut me a pole, and crawled along on 
my sapling till I got to the one it was lodged 
against, which was about six feet above the water. 
I then felt about with my pole till I found the log, 
which was just about as deep under the water as I 
had judged. I then crawled back and got my 
gun, which I had left at the stump of the sapling I 
had cut, and again made my way to the place of 
lodgement, and then climb'd down the other sap- 
ling so as to get on the log. I then felt my way 
along with my feet, in the water, about waist deep, 
but it was a mighty ticklish business. However, 
I got over, and by this time I had very little feel- 
ing in my feet and legs, as I had been all the time 
in the water, except what time I was crossing 
the high log over the river, and climbing my lodged 
sapling. 

I went but a short distance before I came to 
another slough, over which there was a log, but 
it was floating on the water. I thought I could 
walk it, and so I mounted on it; but when I had 
got about the middle of the deep water, some- 
how or somehow else, it turned over, and in I 




158 THE LIFE OF 

went up to my head. I waded out of this deep 
water, and went ahead till I came to the high-land, 
where I stop'd to pull of my wet clothes, and put 
on the others, which I had held up with my gun, 
above the water, when I fell in. I got them on, 
but my flesh had no feeling in it, I was so cold. 
I tied up the wet ones, and hung them up in a bush. 
I now thought I would run, so as to warm myself 
a little, but I couldn't raise a trot for some time ; 
indeed, I couldn't step more than half the length 
of my foot. After a while I got better, and went 
on five miles to the house of my brother-in-law, 
having not even smelt fire from the time I started. 
I got there late in the evening, and he was much 
astonished at seeing me at such a time. I staid 
all night, and the next morning was most pierc- 
ing cold, and so they persuaded me not to go 
home that day. I agreed, and turned out and 
killed him two deer ; but the weather still got 
worse and colder, instead of better. I staid that 
night, and in the morning they still insisted I 
couldn't get home. I knowed the water would 
be frozen over, but not hard enough to bear me, 
and so I agreed to stay that day. I went out hunt- 
ing again, and pursued a big lie-hear all day, but 
didn't kill him. The next morning was bitter 
cold, but I knowed my family was without meat, 



DAVID CROCKETT. 159 

and I determined to get home to them, or die 
a-trying. 

I took my keg of powder, and all my hunting 
tools, and cut out. When I got to the water, it 
was a sheet of ice as far as I could see. I put on 
to it, but hadn't got far before it broke through 
with me ; and so I took out my tomahawk, and 
broke my way along before me for a considerable 
distance. At last I got to where the ice would 
bear me for a short distance, and I mounted on it, 
and went ahead ; but it soon broke in again, and 
I had to wade on till I came to my floating log. 
I found it so tight this time, that I know'd it 
couldn't give me another fall, as it was frozen in 
with the ice. I crossed over it without much 
difficulty, and worked along till I got to my 
lodged sapling, and my log under the water. 
The swiftness of the current prevented the water 
from freezing over it, and so I had to wade, just 
as I did when I crossed it before. When I got 
to my sapling, I left my gun and climbed out with 
my powder keg first, and then went back and got 
my gun. By this time I was nearly frozen to 
death, but I saw all along before me, where the 
ice had been fresh broke, and I thought it must 
be a bear straggling about in the water. I, there- 
fore, fresh primed my gun, and, cold as I was, I 



X60 THE LIFE OF 

was determined to make war on him, if we met. 
But I followed the trail till it led me home, and 
I then found it had been made by my young 
man that lived with me, who had been sent by 
my distressed wife to see, if he could, what had 
become of me, for they all believed that I was dead. 
When I got home I was'nt quite dead, but mighty 
nigh it ; but I had my powder, and that was what 
I went for. 



DAVID CROCKETT, Xgj 



CHAPTER XII. 

That night there fell a heavy rain, and it 
turned to a sleet. In the morning all hands 
turned out hunting. My young man, and a 
brother-in-law who had lately settled close by 
me, went down the river to hunt for turkeys ; 
but I was for larger game. I told them, I had 
dreamed the night before of having a hard fight 
with a big black nigger, and I knowed it was a 
sign that I was to have a battle with a bear ; for 
in a bear country, I never know'd such a dream 
to fail. So I started to go up above the harricane, 
determined to have a bear. I had two pretty 
good dogs, and an old hound, all of which I took 
along. I had gone about six miles up the river, 
and it was then about four miles across to the 
main Obion ; so I determined to strike across to 
that, as I had found nothing yet to kill. I got on 
to the river, and turned down it ; but the sleet 
was still getting worse and worse. The bushes 
were all bent down, and locked together with ice, 
o2 



IQ2 '^^^^ ^'^^^' ^^ 

so that it was almost impossible to get along. In 
a little time my dogs started a large gang of old 
turkey goblers, and I killed two of them, of the 
biggest sort. I shouldered them up, and moved 
on, until I got through the harricane, when I was 
so tired that I laid my goblers down to rest, as they 
were confounded heavy, and I was mighty tired. 
While I was resting, my old hound w^ent to a log, 
and smelt it awhile, and then raised his eyes to- 
ward the sky, and cried out. Away he w^ent, 
and my other dogs with him, and I shouldered up 
my turkeys again, and followed on as hard as I 
could drive. They were soon out of sight, and 
in a very little time I heard them begin to bark. 
When I got to them, they were barking up a tree, 
but there was no game there. I concluded it had 
been a turkey, and that it had flew away. 

When they saw me coming, away they went 
again ; and, after a little time, began to bark as 
before. When I got near them, I found they 
were barking up the wrong tree again, as there 
was no game there. They served me in this way 
three or four times, until I was so infernal mad, 
that I determined, if I could get near enough, to 
shoot the old hound at least. With this intention 
I pushed on the harder, till I came to the edge of 
an open parara, and looking on before my dogs, I 



DAVID CROCKETT. 1(53 

saw in and about the biggest bear that ever was 
seen in America. He looked, at the distance he 
was from me, like a large black bull. My dogs 
were afraid to attack him, and that was the reason 
they had stop'd so often, that I might overtake 
them. They were now almost up with him, and 
I took my goblers from my back and hung them 
up in a sapling, and broke like a quarter horse 
after my bear, for the sight of him had put new 
springs in me. I soon got near to them, but they 
were just getting into a roaring thicket, and so I 
couldn't run through it, but had to pick my way 
along, and had close work even at that. 

In a little time I saw the bear climbing up a 
large black oak-tree, and I crawled on till I got 
within about eighty yards of him. He was setting 
with his breast to me ; and so I put fresh priming 
in my gun, and fired at him. At this he raised 
one of his paws and snorted loudly. 1 loaded 
again as quick as I could, and fired as near the 
same place in his breast as possible. At the 
crack of my gun here he came tumbling down ; 
and the moment he touched the ground, I heard 
one of my best dogs cry out. I took my toma- 
hawk in one hand, and my big butcher-knife in 
the other, and run up within four or five paces of 
him, at which he let my dog go, and fixed his 



164 THE LIFE OF 

- eyes on mc. I got back in all sorts of a hurry, 
for I knowM if he got hold of me, he would hug 
me altogether too close for comfort. I went to 
my gun and hastily loaded her again, and shot 
him the third time, which killed him good. 

1 now began to think about getting him home, 
but I didn't know how far it was. So I left him 
and started ; and in order to find him again, I 
would blaze a sapling every little distance, which 
would show me the way back. I continued this 
till I got within about a mile of home, for there I 
know'd very well where I was, and that I could 
easily find the way back to my blazes. When I got 
home, I took my brother-in-law, and my young 
man, and four horses, and went back. We got 
there just before dark, and struck up a fire, and 
commenced butchering my bear. It was some 
time in the night before we finished it ; and I 
can assert, on my honour, that I believe he would 
have weighed six hundred pounds. It was the 
second largest I ever saw. I killed one, a few 
years after, that weighed six hundred and seven- 
teen pounds. I now felt fully compensated for 
my sufferings in going after my powder ; and well 
satisfied that a dog might sometimes be doing a 
good business, even when he seemed to be hark- 
ing up the ivrong tree. We got our meat home, 



DAVID CROCKETT. 155 

and I had the pleasure to know that we now had 
plenty, and that of the best ; and I continued 
through the winter to supply my family abun- 
dantly with bear-meat and venison from the 
woods. 



[66 THE IJFE OF 



CHAPTER XIII. 

I HAD on hand a great many skins, and so, in the 
month of Fehruary, I packed a horse with them, 
and taking my eldest son along with me, cut out 
for a little town called Jackson, situated about 
forty miles off. We got there well enough, and 
I sold my skins, and bought me some coffee, and 
sugar, powder, lead, and salt. I packed them all 
up in readiness for a start, which I intended to 
make early the next morning. Morning came, 
but I concluded, before I started, I would go and 
take a horn with some of my old fellow-soldiers 
that I had met with at Jackson. 

I did so ; and while we were engaged in this, 
I met with three candidates for the Legislature ; 
a Doctor Butler, who was, by marriage, a ne- 
phew to General Jackson, a Major Lynn, and a 
Mr. McEver, all first-rate men. We all took a 
horn together, and some person present said to me, 
" Crockett, you must offer for the Legislature." I 
told him I lived at least forty miles from any 



DAVID CROCKETT. 167 

white settlement, and had no thought of becom- 
ing a candidate at that time. So we all jDarted, 
and I and my little boy went on home. 

It was about a week or two after this, that a 
man came to my house, and told me I was a can- 
didate. I told him not so. But he took out a 
newspaper from his pocket, and show'd me 
where I was announced. I said to my wife that 
this was all a burlesque on me, but I was de- 
termined to make it cost the man who had put 
it there at least the value of the printing, and of 
the fun he wanted at my expense. So I hired 
a young man to work in my place on my farm, 
and turned out myself electioneering. I hadn't 
been out long, before I found the people be- 
gan to talk very much about the bear hunter, the 
man from the cane ; and the three gentlemen, 
who I have already named, soon found it ne- 
cessary to enter into an agreement to have a 
sort of caucus at their March court, to deter- 
mine which of them was the strongest, and 
the other two was to withdraw and support 
him. As the court came on, each one of them 
spread himself, to secure the nomination ; but 
it fell on Dr. Butler, and the rest backed out. 
The doctor was a clever fellow, and I have 
often said he was the most talented man I ever 



163 THE LIFE OF 

run against for any office. His being related to 
Gen'l. Jackson also helped him on very much; but 
I was in for it, and I was determined to push 
ahead and go through, or stick. Their meeting 
was held in Madison county, which was the 
strongest in the representative district, which was 
composed of eleven counties, and they seemed 
bent on having the member from there. 

At this time Col. Alexander was a candidate for 
Congress, and attending one of his public meetings 
one day, I walked to where he was treating the 
people, and he gave me an introduction to several 
of his acquaintances, and informed them that I was 
out electioneering. In a little time my competi- 
tor. Doctor Butler, came along ; he passed by 
without noticing me, and I suppose, indeed, he did 
not recognise me. But I hailed him, as I was for 
all sorts of fun ; and when he turned to me, I said 
to him, " Well, doctor, I suppose they have weigh- 
ed you out to me ; but I should like to know why 
they fixed your election for March instead oiJiu- 
gust ? This is,'^ said I, " a branfire new way of do- 
ing business, if a caucus is to make a representative 
for the people!" He now discovered who I was, 
and cried out, " D — n it, Crockett, is that you ?" — 
" Be sure it is," said I, " but I don't want it under- 
stood that I have come electioneering. I have just 



DAVID CROCKETT. Igg 

crept out of the cane, to see what discoveries I could 
make among the white folks.'^ I told him that 
when I set out electioneering, I would go prepared 
to put every man on as good footing when I left 
him as I found him on. I would therefore have 
me a large buckskin hunting-shirt made, with a 
couple of pockets holding about a peck each ; 
and that in one I would carry a great big 
twist of tobacco, and in the other my bottle of li- 
quor ; for I knowed when I met a man and offered 
him a dram, he would throw out his quid of to- 
bacco to take one, and after he had taken his horn, 
I would out with my twist and give him another 
chaw. And in this way he would not be worse 
off than when I found him ; and I would be sure 
to leave him in a first-rate good humour. He said 
I could beat him electioneering all hollow. I told 
him I would give him better evidence of that be- 
fore August, notwithstanding he had many advan- 
tages over me, and particularly in the way of mo- 
ney ; but I told him that I would go on the pro- 
ducts of the country; that I had industrious chil- 
dren, and the best of coon dogs, and they would 
hunt every night till midnight to support my elec- 
tion ; and when the coon fur wa'n't good, I would 
myself go a wolfing, and shoot down a wolf, and 
skin his head,^and his scalp would be good to me 



170 THE LIFE OF 

for three dollars, in our state treasury money ; and 
in this way I would get along on the big string. 
He stood like he was both amused and astonished, 
and the whole crowd was in a roar of laughter. 
From this place I returned home, leaving the peo- 
ple in a first-rate way ; and I was sure I would 
do a good business among them. At any rate, I 
was determined to stand up to my lick-log, salt or 
no salt. 

In a short time there came out two other candi- 
dates, a Mr. Shaw and a Mr. Brown. We all ran 
the race through; and when the election was over, 
it turned out that I beat them all by a majority of 
two hundred and forty-seven votes, and was again 
returned as a member of the Legislature from a 
new region of the country, without losing a ses- 
sion. This reminded me of the old saying — " A 
fool for luck, and a poor man for children." 

I now served two years in that body from my 
new district, which was the years 1823 and '24. 
At the session of 1823, I had a small trial of my 
independence, and whether I would forsake prin- 
ciple for party, or for the purpose of following 
after big men. 

The term of Col. John Williams had expired, who 
was a senator in Congress from the state of Ten- 
nessee. He was a candidate for another election, 



DAVID CROCKETT. I7I 

and was opposed by Pleasant M. Miller, Esq., 
who, it was believed, would not be able to beat 
the colonel. Some two or three others were 
spoken of, but it was at last concluded that the only- 
man who could beat him was the present " go- 
vernment," General Jackson, So, a few days be- 
fore the election was to come on, he was sent for 
to come and run for the senate. He was then in 
nomination for the presidency ; but sure enough 
he came, and did run as the opponent of Colonel 
Williams, and beat him too, but not by my vote. 
The vote was, for Jackson, thirty -jive ; for Wil 
liams, twenty-Jive. I thought the colonel had 
honestly discharged his duty, and even the mighty 
name of Jackson couldn't make me vote against 
him. 

But voting against the old chief was found a 
mighty up-hill business to all of them except my- 
self. I never would, nor never did, acknowledge 
I had voted wrong ; and I am more certain now 
that I was right than ever. 

I told the people it was the best vote I ever 
gave ; that I had supported the public interest, and 
cleared my conscience in giving it, instead of 
gratifying the private ambition of a man. 

I let the people know as early as then, that I 



172 THE LIFE OF 

wouldn't take a collar around my neck with the 
letters engraved on it, 



MY DOG. 

Andrew Jackson. 



During these two sessions of the Legislature, no- 
thing else turned up which I think it worth while 
to mention ; and, indeed, I am fearful that I am 
too particular about many small matters ; but if so, 
my apology is, that I want the world to under- 
stand my true history, and how I worked along 
to rise from a cane-brake to my present station 
in life. 

Col. Alexander was the representative in Con- 
gress of the district I lived in, and his vote on the 
tariff law of 1824 gave a mighty heap of dissatis- 
faction to his people. They therefore began to 
talk pretty strong of running me for Congress 
against him. At last I was called on by a good 
many to be a candidate. I told the people that I 
couldn't stand that; it was a step above my know- 
ledge, and I know'd nothing about Congress 
matters. 

However, I was obliged to agree to run, and my- 
self and two other gentlemen came out. But Pro 



DAVID CROCKETT. 173 

vidence was a little against two of us this hunt, for it 
was the year that cotton brought twenty-five dollars 
a hundred ; and so Colonel Alexander would get 
up atid tell the people, it was all the good effect of 
this tariff law ; that it had raised the price of their 
cotton, and that it would raise the price of every 
thing else they made to sell. I might as well have 
sung salms over a dead horse, as to try to make 
the people believe otherwise ; for they knowed 
their cotton had raised, sure enough, and if the 
colonel hadn't done it, they didn't know what 
had. So he rather made a mash of me this time, 
as he beat me exactly tivo votes, as they counted 
the polls, though I have always believed that many 
other things had been as fairly done as that same 
count. 

He went on, and served out his term, and at 
the end of it cotton was down to six or eight 
dollars a hundred again ; and I concluded I would 
try him once more, and see how it would go 
with cotton at the common price, and so I became 
a candidate. 



p2 



174 THE LIFE OF 



CHAPTER XIV. 

But the reader, I expect, would have no objec- 
tion to know a little about my employment during 
the two years while my competitor was in Con- 
gress. In this space I had some pretty tuff times, 
and will relate some few things that happened to 
me. So here goes, as the boy said when he run 
by himself. 

In the fall of 1825, t concluded I would build 
two large boats, and load them with pipe staves 
for market. So I went down to the lake, which 
was about twenty-five miles from where I lived, 
and hired some hands to assist me, and went to 
work ; some at boat building, and others to get- 
ting staves. I worked on with my hands till the 
bears got fat, and then I turned out to hunting, to 
lay in a supply of meat. I soon killed and salted 
down as many as were necessary for my family ; 
but about this time one of my old neighbours, who 
had settled down on the lake about twenty -five 
miles from me, came to my house and told me 



DAVID CROCKETT. X75 

he wanted me to go down and kill some bears 
about in his parts. He said they were extremely 
fat, and very plenty. I know'd that when they 
were fat, they were easily taken, for a fat bear 
can't run fast or long. But I asked a bear no fa- 
vours, no way, further than civility, for I now 
had eight large dogs, and as fierce as painters j 
so that a bear stood no chance at all to get away 
from them. So I went home with him, and then 
went on down towards the Mississippi, and com- 
menced hunting. 

We were out two weeks, and in that time killed 
fifteen bears. Having now supplied my friend 
with plenty of meat, I engaged occasionally again 
with my hands in our boat building, and getting 
staves. But I at length couldn't stand it any 
longer without another hunt. So I concluded to 
take my little son, and cross over the lake, and 
take a hunt there. We got over, and that evening 
turned out and killed three bears, in little or no 
time. The next morning we drove up four forks, 
and made a sort of scaffold, on which we salted 
up our meat, so as to have it out of the reach of 
the wolves, for as soon as we would leave our 
camp, they w^ould take possession. We had just 
eat our breakfast, when a company of hunters 
came to our camp, who had fourteen dogs, but all 



176 I'HE LIFE OF 

SO poor, that wlien Ihcy would bark they would 
almost have to lean up against a tree and take 
a rest. I told them their dogs couldn't run in 
smell of a bear, and they had better stay at my 
camp, and feed them on the bones I had cut out 
of my meat. I left them there, and cut out ; but 
I hadn't gone far, when my dogs took a first-rate 
start after a very large fat old he-hear, which run 
right plump towards my camp. I pursued on, 
but my other hunters had heard my dogs coming, 
and met them, and killed the bear before I got up 
with him. I gave him to them, and cut out again 
for a creek called Big Clover, which wa'n't very 
far off. Just as I got there, and was entering a 
cane brake, my dogs all broke and went ahead, 
and, in a little time, they raised a fuss in the cane, 
and seemed to be going every way. I listened a 
while, and found my dogs was in two companies, 
and that both was in a snorting fight. I sent my 
little son to one, and I broke for t'other. I got to 
mine first, and found my dogs had a two-year-old 
bear down, a-wooling away on him ; so I just 
took out my big butcher, and went up and slap'd 
it into him, and killed him without shooting. 
There was five of the dogs in my company. In 
a short time, I heard my little son fire at his bear^ 
when I went to h»m he had killed it too. He 



DAVID CROCKETT. I77 

had two dogs in his team. Just at this moment 
we heard my other dog barking a short distance 
off, and all the rest immediately broke to him. 
We pushed on too, and when we got there, we 
found he had still a larger bear than either of them 
we had killed, treed by himself. We killed that 
one also, which made three we had killed in less 
than half an hour. We turned in and butchered 
them, and then started to hunt for water, and a 
good place to camp. But we had no sooner 
started, than our dogs took a start after another 
one, and away they went like a thunder-gust, and 
was out of hearing in a minute. We followed the 
way they had gone for some time, but at length 
we gave up the hope of finding them, and turned 
back. As we were going back, I came to where 
a poor fellow was grubbing, and he looked like 
the very picture of hard times. I asked him 
what he was doing away there in the woods by 
himself ? He said he was grubbing for a man w^ho 
intended to settle there ; and the reason why he 
did it was, that he had no meat for his family, 
and he was working for a little. 

I was mighty sorry for the poor fellow, for 
it. was not only a hard, but a very slow way to 
get meat for a hungry family ; so I told him if he 
would go with me, I would give him more meat 



178 THE LIFE OF 

than he could get by grubbing in a month. I in- 
tended to supply him with meat, and also to get 
him to assist my little boy in packing in and salt- 
ing up my bears. He had never seen a bear kill 
ed in his life. I told him I had six killed then, 
and my dogs were hard after another. He went 
off to his little cabin, which was a short distance 
in the brush, and his wife was very anxious he 
should go with me. So we started and went to 
where I had left my three bears, and made a camp. 
We then gathered my meat and salted, and scaf- 
fled it, as I had done the other. Night now came 
on, but no word from my dogs yet. I afterwards 
found they had treed the bear about five miles 
off, near to a man's house, and had barked at it 
the whole enduring night. Poor fellows ! many 
a time they looked for me, and wondered why I 
didn't come, for they knowed there was no mis- 
take in me, and I know'd they were as good as 
ever fluttered. In the morning, as soon as it was 
light enough to see, the man took his gun and 
went to them, and shot the bear, and killed it. My 
dogs, however, wouldn't have any thing to say to 
this stranger ; so they left him, and came early in 
the morning back to me. 

We got our breakfast, and cut out again ; and 
we killed four large and very fat bears that day. 



DAVID CROCKETT . 179 

We hunted out the week, and in that time we 
killed seventeen, all of them first-rate. When 
we closed our hunt, I gave the man over a 
thousand weight of fine fat bear-meat, which 
pleased him mightily, and made him feel as 
rich as a Jew. I saw him the next fall, and he 
told me he had plenty of meat to do him the 
whole year from his week's hunt. My son and 
me now went home. This was the week between 
Christmass and New-year that we made this hunt. 
When I got home, one of my neighbours was 
out of meat, and wanted me to go back, and 
let him go with me, to take another hunt. I 
couldn't refuse ; but I told him I was afraid the 
bear had taken to house by that time, for after 
they get very fat in the fall and early part of the 
winter, they go into their holes, in large hollow 
trees, or into hollow logs, or their cane-houses, 
or the harricanes ; and lie there till spring, like 
frozen snakes. And one thing about this will 
seem mighty strange to many people. Fronr 
about the first of January to about the last of 
April, these varments lie in their holes altogether. 
In all that time they have no food to eat ; and yet 
when they come out, they are not an ounce lighter 
than when they went to house. I don't know the 
cause of this, and still I know it is a fact ; and I 



180 THE LIFE OF 

leave it for others who have more learning than 
myself to account for it. They have not a particle 
of food with them, but they just lie and suck the 
bottom of their paw all the time. I have killed 
many of them in their trees, which enables me to 
speak positively on this subject. However, my 
neighbour, whose name was McDaniel, and my 
little son and me, went on down to the lake to 
my second camp, where I had killed my seventeen 
bears the week before, and turned out to hunting. 
But we hunted hard all day without getting a sin- 
gle start. We had carried but little provisions with 
us, and the next morning was entirely out of meat. 
I sent my son about three miles off, to the house 
of an old friend, to get some. The old gentleman 
was much pleased to hear I was hunting in those 
parts, for the year before the bears had killed a 
great many of his hogs. He was that day killing 
his bacon hogs, and so he gave my son some meat, 
and sent word to me that I must come in to his 
house that evening, that he would have plenty of 
feed for my dogs, and some accommodations for 
ourselves ; but before my son got back, we had 
gone out hunting, and in a large cane brake my 
dogs found a big bear in a cane-house, which he 
had fixed for his winter-quarters, as they some- 
times do. 



DAVID CROCKETT. IQI 

When my lead dog found him, and raised 
the yell, all the rest broke to him, but none of 
them entered his house until we got up. I en- 
couraged my dogs, and they knowed me so well, 
that I could have made them seize the old serpent 
himself, with all his horns and heads, and cloven 
foot and ugliness into the bargain, if he would 
only have come to light, so that they could have 
seen him. They bulged in, and in an instant the 
bear followed them out, and I told my friend to 
shoot him, as he w^as mighty wrathy to kill a bear. 
He did so, and killed him prime. We carried him 
to our camp, by which time my son had returned ; 
and after we got our dinners we packed up, and 
cut for the house of my old friend, whose name 
was Davidson. 

We got there, and staid with him that night ; 
and the next morning, having salted up our meat, 
we left it with him, and started to take a hunt be- 
tween the Obion lake and the Red-foot lake ; as 
there had been a dreadful harricane, which passed 
between them, and I was sure there must be a 
heap of bears in the fallen timber. We had gone 
about five miles without seeing any sign at all ; 
but at length we got on some high cany ridges, 
and, as we rode along, I saw a hole in a large 
black oak, and on examining more closely, I dis- 

Q 



182 THE LIFE OF 

covered that a bear had clomb the tree. I could 
see his tracks going up, but none coming down, 
and so I was sure he was in there. A person who is 
acquainted with bear-hunting, can tell easy enough 
when the varment is in the hollow ; for as they 
go up they don't slip a bit, but as they come down 
they make long scratches with their nails. 

My friend was a little ahead of me, but I called 
him back, and told him there was a bear in that 
tree, and I must have him out. So we lit from 
our horses, and I found a small tree which I 
thought I could fall so as to lodge against my bear 
tree, and we fell to work chopping it with our 
tomahawks. I intended, when we lodged the tree 
against the other, to let my little son go up, and 
look into the hole, for he could climb like a squir- 
rel. We had chop'd on a little time and stop'd to 
rest, when I heard my dogs barking mighty se- 
vere at some distance from us, and I told my friend 
I knowed they had a bear ; for it is the nature 
of a dog, when he finds you are hunting bears, 
to hunt for nothing else ; he becomes fond of the 
meat, and considers other game as " not worth a 
notice,'' as old Johnson said of the devil. 

We concluded to leave our tree a bit, and went 
to my dogs, and when we got there, sure enough 
they had an eternal great big fat bear up a tree. 



DAVID CROCKETT. 183 

just ready for shooting. My friend again peti- 
tioned me for liberty to shoot this one also. I had 
a little rather not, as the bear was so big, but I 
couldn't refuse ; and so he blazed away, and down 
came the old fellow like some great log had fell. 
I now missed one of my dogs, the same that I be- 
fore spoke of as having treed the bear by himself 
sometime before, when I had started the three in 
the cane break. I told my friend that my missing 
dog had a bear somewhere, just as sure as fate ; so 
I left them to butcher the one we had just killed, 
and I went up on a piece of high ground to listen 
for my dog. I heard him barking with all his 
might some distance off, and I pushed ahead for 
him. My other dogs hearing him broke to him, 
and when I got there, sure enough again he had 
another bear ready treed ; if he hadn't, I wish 
I may be shot. I fired on him, and brought 
him down ; and then went back, and help'd 
finish butchering the one at which I had left 
my friend. We then packed both to our tree 
where we had left my boy. By this time, the lit- 
tle fellow had cut the tree down that we intended 
to lodge, but it fell the wrong way ; he had then 
feather'd in on the big tree, to cut that, and had 
found that it was nothing but a shell on the out- 
side, and all doted in the middle, as too many of 



184 THE LIFE OF 

our big men are in these days, having only an out- 
side appearance. My friend and my son cut away 
on it, and I went off about a hundred yards with 
my dogs to keep them from running under the 
tree when it should fall. On looking back at the 
hole, I saw the bear's head out of it, looking down 
at them as they were cutting. I hollered to them 
to look up, and they did so ; and McDaniel catch- 
ed up his gun, but by this time the bear was out, 
and coming down the tree. He fired at it, and as 
soon as it touch'd ground the dogs were all round 
it, and they had a roll-and-tumble fight to the foot 
of the hill, where they stop'd him. I ran up, and 
putting my gun against the bear, fired and killed 
him. We now had three, and so we made our 
scaffold and salted them up. 



DAVID CROCKETT. 185 



CHAPTER XV. 

In the morning I left my son at the camp, and 
we started on towards the harricane ; and when 
we had went about a mile, we started a very large 
bear, but we got along mighty slow on account of 
the cracks in the earth occasioned by the earth- 
quakes. We, however, made out to keep in hear- 
ing of the dogs for about three miles, and then 
we come to the harricane. Here we had to quit 
our horses, as old Nick himself couldn't have got 
through it without sneaking it along in the form 
that he put on, to make a fool of our old grand- 
mother Eve. By this time several of my dogs 
had got tired and come back ; but we went ahead 
on foot for some little time in the harricane, when 
we met a bear coming straight to us, and not 
more than twenty or thirty yards off. I started 
my tired dogs after him, and McDaniel pursued 
them, and I went on to where my other dogs 
were. I had seen the track of the bear they were 
after, and I knowed he was a screamer. I fol- 
q2 



186 "mE LIFE OF 

lowed on to about the middle of the harricane ; 
but my dogs pursued him so close, that they made 
him climb an old stump about twenty feet high. 
I got in shooting distance of him and fired, but 
I was all over in such a flutter from fatigue and 
running, that I couldn't hold steady ; but, how- 
ever, I broke his shoulder, and he fell. I run up 
and loaded my gun as quick as possible, and shot 
him again and killed him. When I went to take 
out my knife to butcher him, I found I had lost 
it in coming through the harricane. The vines 
and briers was so thick that I would sometimes 
have to get down and crawl like a varment to get 
through at all ; and a vine had, as I supposed, 
caught in the handle and pulled it out. While I 
was standing and studying what to do, my friend 
came to me. He had followed my trail through 
the harricane, and had found my knife, which was 
mighty good news to me ; as a hunter hates the 
worst in the world to lose a good dog, or any 
part of his hunting-tools. I now left McDaniel 
to butcher the bear, and I went after our horses, 
and brought them as near as the nature of case 
would allow. I then took our bags, and went back 
to where he was ; and when we had skin'd the 
bear, we fleeced off" the fat and carried it to our 
horses at several loads. We then packed it up 



DAVID CROCKETT. 187 

on our horses, and had a heavy pack of it on 
each one. We now started and went on till about 
sunset, when I concluded we must be near our 
camp ; so I hollered and my son answered me, 
and we moved on in the direction to the camp. 
We had gone but a little way when I heard my 
dogs make a warm start again ; and I jumped 
down from my horse and gave him up to my 
friend, and told him I would follow them. He 
went on to the camp, and I went ahead after my 
dogs with all my might for a considerable dis- 
tance, till at last night came on. The woods were 
very rough and hilly, and all covered over with 
cane. 

I now was compePd to move on more slowly ; 
and was frequently falling over logs, and into the 
cracks made by the earthquakes, so that I was 
very much afraid I would break my gun. How- 
ever I went on about three miles, when I came to 
a good big creek, which I waded. It was very 
cold, and the creek was about knee-deep ; but I 
felt no great inconvenience from it just then, as I 
was all over wet with sweat from running, and I 
felt hot enough. After I got over this creek and 
out of the cane, which was very thick on all our 
creeks, I listened for my dogs. I found they had 
either treed or brought the bear to a stop, as they 



138 THE LIFE OF 

continued barking in the same place. I pushed on 
as near in the direction to the noise as I could, till 
I found the hill was too steep for me to climb, 
and so I backed and went down the creek some 
distance till I came to a hollow, and then took up 
that, till 1 come to a place where I could climb up 
the hill. It was mighty dark, and was difficult to 
see my way or any thing else. When I got up 
the hill, I found I had passed the dogs ; and so I 
turned and went to them. I found, when I got 
there, they had treed the bear in a large forked 
poplar, and it was setting in the fork. 

I could see the lump, but not plain enough to 
shoot with any certainty, as there was no moon- 
light ; and so I set in to hunting for some dry 
brush to make me a light ; but I could find none, 
though I could find that the ground was torn 
mightily to pieces by the cracks. -^ 

At last I thought I could shoot by guess, and kill 
him ; so I pointed as near the lump as I could, and 
fired away. But the bear didn't come he only 
clomb up higher, and got out on a limb, which 
helped me to see him better. I now loaded up 
again and fired, but this time he didn't move at 
all. I commenced loading for a third fire, but the 
first thing I knowed, the bear was down among 
my dogs, and they were fighting all around me. 



DAVID CROCKETT. 189 

I had my big butcher in my belt, and I had a pair 
of dressed buckskin breeches on. So I took out 
my knife, and stood, determined, if he should get 
hold of me, to defend myself in the best way I 
could. I stood there for some time, and could 
now and then see a white dog I had, but the rest 
of them, and the bear, which were dark coloured, 
I couldn't see at all, it was so miserable dark. 
They still fought around me, and sometimes 
within three feet of me ; but, at last, the bear got 
down into one of the cracks, that the earthquakes 
had made in the ground, about four feet deep, and 
I could tell the biting end of him by the hollering 
of my dogs. So I took my gun and pushed the 
muzzle of it about, till I thought I had it against 
the main part of his body, and fired ; but it hap- 
pened to be only the fleshy part of his foreleg. 
With this, he jumped out of the crack, and he 
and the dogs had another hard fight around me, 
as before. At last, however, they forced him 
back into the crack again, as he was when I had 
shot. 

I had laid down my gun in the dark, and I now 
began to hunt for it ; and, while hunting, I got 
hold of a pole, and I concluded I would punch 
him awhile with that. I did so, and when 1 
would punch him,' the dogs would jump in on 



190 ^^^ '^^^^ ^F 

him, when he would bite them badly, and they 
would jump out again. I concluded, as he would 
take punching so patiently, it might be that he 
would lie still enough for me to get down in the 
crack, and feel slowly along till I could find the 
right place to give him a dig with my butcher. 
So I got down, and my dogs got in before him 
and kept his head towards them, till I got along 
easily up to him ; and placing my hand on his 
rump, felt for his shoulder, just behind which 
I intended to stick him. I made a lounge with 
my long knife, and fortunately stuck him right 
through the heart ; at wdiich he just sank down, 
and I crawled out in a hurry. In a little time 
my dogs all come out too, and seemed satisfied, 
which was the way they always had of telling 
me that they had finished him. 

I suffered very much that night with cold, as 
my leather breeches, and every thing else I had 
on, was wet and frozen. But I managed to get 
my bear out of this crack after several hard trials, 
and so I butchered him, and laid down to try to 
sleep. But my fire was very bad, and I couldn't 
find any thing that would burn well to make it 
any better; and I concluded I should freeze, if I 
didn't warm myself in some way by exercise. 
So I got up, and hollered a while, and then I 



DAVID CROCKETT. 191 

would just jump up and down with all my might, 
and throw myself into all sorts of motions. But 
all this wouldn't do ; for my blood was now 
getting cold, and the chills coming all over me, 
I was so tired, too, that I could hardly walk ; but I 
thought I would do the best I could to save my 
life, and then, if I died, nobody would be to 
blame. So I went to a tree about two feet through, 
and not a limb on it for thirty feet, and I would 
climb up it to the limbs, and then lock my arms 
together around it, and slide down to the bottom 
again. This would make the insides of my legs 
and arms feel mighty warm and good. I continued 
this till daylight in the morning, and how often I 
clomb up my tree and slid down I don't know, 
but I reckon at least a hundred times. 

In the morning I got my bear hung up so as to 
be safe, and then set out to hunt for my camp. I 
found it after a while, and McDaniel and my son 
were very much rejoiced to see me get back, for 
they were about to give me up for lost. We got 
our breakfasts, and then secured our meat by 
building a high scaffold, and covering it over. 
We had no fear of its spoiling, for the weather was 
so cold that it couldn't. 

We now started after my other bear, which had 
caused me so much trouble and suffering ; and be- 



IQ2 THE LIFE OF 

fore we got him, we got a start after another, and 
took him also. We went on to the creek I had 
crossed the night before and camped, and then 
went to where my bear was, that I had killed in 
the crack. When we examined the place, McDa- 
niel said he wouldn't have gone into it, as I did, 
for all the bears in the woods. 

We took the meat down to our camp and salted 
it, and also the last one we had killed ; intending, 
in the morning, to make a hunt in the harricane 
again. 

We prepared for resting that night, and I can 
assure the reader I was in need of it. We had 
laid down by our fire, and about ten o'clock there 
came a most terrible earthquake, which shook the 
earth so, that we were rocked about like we had 
been in a cradle. We were very much alarmed ; 
for though we were accustomed to feel earth- 
quakes, we were now right in the region which 
had been torn to pieces by them in 1812, and we 
thought it might take a notion and swallow us up, 
like the big fish did Jonah. 

In the morning we packed up and moved to the 
harricane, where we made another camp, and 
turned out that evening and killed a very large 
bear, which made eight we had now killed in 
this hunt. 



DAVID CROCKETT. I93 

The next morning we entered the harricane 
again, and in little or no time my dogs were in 
full cry. We pursued them, and soon came to a 
thick cane-brake, in which they had stop'd their 
bear. We got up close to him, as the cane was 
so thick that we couldn't see more than a few 
feet. Here I made my friend hold the cane a 
little open with his gun till 1 shot the bear, 
which was a mighty large one. I killed him 
dead in his tracks. We got him out and butch- 
ered him, and in a little time started another 
and killed him, which now made ten we had 
killed ; and we know'd we couldn't pack any 
more home, as we had only five horses along ; 
therefore we returned to the camp and salted up 
all our meat, to be ready for a start homeward 
next morning. 

The morning came, and we packed our horses 
with the meat, and had as much as they could pos- 
sibly carry, and sure enough cut out for home. It 
was about thirty miles, and we reached home the 
second day. I had now accommodated my neigh- 
bour with meat enough to do him, and had killed 
in all, up to that time, fifty-eight bears, during the 
fall and winter. 

As soon as the time come for them to quit 
their houses and come out again in the spring, 
R 



194 THE LIFE OF 

I took a notion to hunt a little more, and in 
about one month I killed forty-seven more, which 
made one hundred and five bears I had killed in 
less than one year from that time. 



DAVID CROCKETT. 195 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Having now closed my hunting for that winter, 
I returned to my hands, who were engaged about 
my boats and staves, and made ready for a trip 
down the river. I had two boats and about 
thirty thousand staves, and so I loaded with them, 
and set out for New Orleans. I got out of the 
Obion river, in which I had loaded my boats, 
very well j but when I got into the Mississippi, I 
found all my hands were bad scared, and in fact I be- 
lieve I was scared a little the worst of any ; for 
I had never been down the river, and I soon dis- 
covered that my pilot was as ignorant of the business 
as myself. I hadn't gone far before I determined to 
lash the two boats together ; we did so, but it made 
them so heavy and obstinate, that it was next akin 
to impossible to do any thing at all with them, or 
to guide them right in the river. 

That evening we fell in company with some 
Ohio boats ; and about night we tried to land, but 
we could not. The Ohio men hollered to us to 



196 THE LIFE OF 

go on and run all night. We took their advice, 
though we had a good deal rather not ; but we 
couldn't do any other way. In a short distance we 
got into what is called the *^ DeviVs Elbow ;^^ and 
if any place in the wide creation has its own proper 
name, I thought it was this. Here we had about 
the hardest work that I ever was engaged in, in 
my life, to keep out of danger ; and even then 
we were in it all the while. We twice attempted 
to land at Wood-yards, which we could see, but 
couldn't reach. 

The people would run out with lights, and try 
to instruct us how to get to shore ; but all in vain. 
Our boats were so heavy that we couldn't take 
them much any way, except the way they wanted 
to go, and just the way the current would carry 
them. At last we quit trying to land, and con- 
cluded just to go ahead as well as we could, for 
we found we couldn't do any better. Some time 
in the night I was down in the cabin of one of 
the boats, sitting by the fire, thinking on what a 
hobble we had got into ; and how much better 
bear-hunting was on hard land, than floating along 
on the water, when a fellow had to go ahead 
whether he was exactly willing or not. 

The hatchway into the cabin came slap down, 
right through the top of the boat ; and it was the 



DAVID CROCKETT. I97 

only way out except a small hole in the side, 
which we had used for putting our arms through 
to dip up water before we lashed the boats to- 
gether. 

We were now floating sideways, and the boat I 
was in was the hindmost as we went. All at once 
I heard the hands begin to run over the top of the 
boat in great confusion, and pull with all their 
might ; and the first thing I knowM after this 
we went broadside full tilt against the head of an 
island where a large raft of drift timber had lodged. 
The nature of such a place would be, as every 
body knows, to suck the boats down, and turn 
them right under this raft ; and the uppermost 
boat would, of course, be suck'd down and go un- 
der first. As soon as we struck, I bulged for my 
hatchway, as the boat was turning under sure 
enough. But when I got to it, the water was pour- 
ing thro' in a current as large as the hole would 
let it, and as strong as the weight of the river 
could force it. I found I couldn't get out here, 
for the boat was now turned down in such a way, 
that it was steeper than a house-top. I now 
thought of the hole in the side, and made my 
way in a hurry for that. With difficulty I got to 
it, and when I got there, I found it was too small 
for me to get out by my own dower, and I began 
r2 



198 THE LIFE OF 

to think that I was in a worse box than ever. 
But I put my arms through and hollered as loud 
as I could roar, as the boat I was in hadn't yet 
quite filled with water up to my head, and the 
hands who were next to the raft, seeing my arms 
out, and hearing me holler, seized them, and be- 
gan to pull. I told them I was sinking, and to 
pull my arms off, or force me through, for now I 
know'd well enough it was neck or nothing, come 
out or sink. 

By a violent effort they jerked me through ; 
but I was in a pretty pickle when I got through. 
I had been sitting without any clothing over my 
shirt : this was torn off, and I was literally 
skin'd like a rabbit. I was, however, well pleased 
to get out in any way, even without shirt or 
hide ; as before I could straighten myself on the 
boat next to the raft, the one they pull'd me out 
of went entirely under, and I have never seen it 
any more to this day. We all escaped on to the 
raft, where we were compelled to sit all night, 
about a mile from land on either side. Four of 
my company were bareheaded, and three bare- 
footed ; and of that number I was one. I reckon 
1 looked like a pretty cracklin ever to get to 
Congress ! ! ! 

We had now lost all our loading ; and every 



DAVID CROCKETT. J 99 

particle of our clothing, except what little we had 
on ; but over all this, while I was setting there, 
in the night, floating about on the drift, I felt hap- 
pier and better off than I ever had in my life be- 
fore, for I had just made such a marvellous escape, 
that I had forgot almost every thing else in that ; 
and so I felt prime. 

In the morning about sunrise, we saw a boat 
coming down, and we hailed her. They sent a 
large skifi', and took us all on board, and carried us 
down as far as Memphis. Here I met with a 
friend, that I never can forget as long as I am able 
to go ahead at any thing ; it was a Major Win- 
chester, a merchant of that place : he let us all 
have hats, and shoes, and some little money to go 
upon, and so we all parted. 

A young man and myself concluded to go on 
down to Natchez, to see if we could hear any thing 
of our boats ; for we supposed they would float 
out from the raft, and keep on down the river. 
We got on a boat at Memphis, that was going 
down, and so cut out. Our largest boat, we were 
informed, had been seen about fifty miles below 
where we stove, and an attempt had been made 
to land her, but without success, as she was as hard- 
headed as ever. 

This was the last of my boats, and of my boat- 



200 THE LIFE OF 

ing ; for it went so badly with me, along at the 
first, that I hadn't much mind to try it any 
more. I now returned home again, and as the 
next August was the Congressional election, I be- 
gan to turn my attention a little to that matter, as 
it was beginning to be talked of a good deal among 
the people. 



DAVID CROCKETT. 201 



CHAPTER XVII. 

I HAVE, heretofore, informed the reader that I 
had determined to run this race to see what effect 
the price of cotton could have again on it. I now 
had Col. Alexander to run against once more, and 
also General William Arnold. 

I had difficulties enough to fight against this 
time, as every one will suppose ; for I had no 
money, and a very bad prospect, so far as I know'd, 
of getting any to help me along. I had, however, 
a good friend, who sent for me to come and see 
him. I went, and he was good enough to offer 
me some money to help me out. I borrowed 
as much as I thought I needed at the start, and 
went ahead. My friend also had a good deal of 
business about over the district at the different 
courts ; and if he now and then slip'd in a 
good word for me, it is nobody's business. 
We frequently met at different places, and, 
as he thought I needed, he would occasionally 
hand me a little more cash ; so I was able to buy 



202 THE LIFE OF 

a little of "the creature,''^ to put my friends in a 
good humour, as well as the other gentlemen, for 
they all treat in that country ; not to get elected, 
of course — for that would be against the law ; but 
just, as I before said, to make themselves and their 
friends feel their keeping a little. 

Nobody ever did know how I got money to 
get along on, till after the election was over, and 
I had beat my competitors twenty-seven hun- 
dred and forty-eight votes. Even the price of 
cotton couldn't save my friend Aleck this time. 
My rich friend, who had been so good to me in 
the way of money, now sent for me, and loaned 
me a hundred dollars, and told me to go ahead ; 
that that amount would bear my expenses to Con- 
gress, and I must then shift for myself. I came 
on to Washington, and draw'd two hundred and 
fifty dollars, and purchased with it a check on the 
bank at Nashville, and enclosed it to my friend ; 
and I may say, in truth, I sent this money with a 
mighty good will, for I reckon nobody in this 
world loves a friend better than me, or remembers 
a kindness longer. 

I have now given the close of the election, but 
I have skip'd entirely over the canvass, of which 
I will say a very few things in this place ; as I 
know very well how to tell the truth, but not much 



DAVID CROCKETT. 203 

about placing them in book order, so as to please 
critics. 

Col. Alexander was a very clever fellow, and 
principal surveyor at that time ; so much for one of 
the men I had to run against. My other competi- 
tor was a major-general in the militia, and an at- 
torney-general at the law, and quite a smart, clever 
man also ; and so it will be seen I had war work 
as well as law trick, to stand up under. Taking 
both together, they make a pretty considerable 
of a load for any one man to carry. But for 
war claims, I consider myself behind no man 
except " the government," and mighty little, if 
any, behind him ; but this the people will have 
to determine hereafter, as I reckon it won't do 
to quit the work of " reform and retrenchment" 
yet for a spell. 

But my two competitors seemed some little 
afraid of the influence of each other, but not to 
think me in their way at all. They, therefore, 
were generally working against each other, while 
I was going ahead for myself, and mixing among 
the people in the best way I could. I was as cun- 
ning as a little red fox, and wouldn't risk my tail 
in a " committal" trap. 

I found the sign was good, almost everywhere 
I went. On one occasion, while we were in the 



204 THE LIFE OF 

eastern counties of the district, it happened that 
we all had to make a speech, and it fell on me to 
make the first one. I did so after my manner, 
and it turned pretty much on the old saying, " A 
short horse is soon curried,^' as I spoke not very 
long. Colonel Alexander followed me, and then 
General Arnold come on. 

The general took much pains to reply to Alex- 
ander, but didn't so much as let on that there was 
any such candidate as myself at all. He had 
been speaking for a considerable time, when a 
large flock of guinea-fowls came very near to 
where he was, and set up the most unmerciful 
chattering that ever was heard, for they are a noisy 
little brute any way. They so confused the ge- 
neral, that he made a stop, and requested that they 
might be driven away. I let him finish his speech, 
and then walking up to him, said aloud, " Well, 
colonel, you are the first man I ever saw that un- 
derstood the language of fowls." I told him that 
he had not had the politeness to name me in his 
speech, and that when my little friends, the guinea- 
fowls, had come up and began to holler " Crockett, 
Crockett, Crockett," he had been ungenerous 
enough to stop, and drive them all away. This 
raised a universal shout among the people for me, 
and the general seemed mighty bad plagued. But 



DAVID CROCKETT. 205 

he got more plagued than this at the polls in Au- 
gust, as I have stated before. 

This election was in 1827, and I can say, on 
my conscience, that I was, without disguise, the 
friend and supporter of General Jackson, upon 
his principles as he laid them down, and as "/ 
understood them,^^ before his election as presi- 
dent. During my two first sessions in Congress, 
Mr. Adams was president, and I worked along 
with what was called the Jackson party pretty 
well. I was re-elected to Congress, in 1829, by 
an overwhelming majority ; and soon after the 
commencement of this second term, I saw, or 
thought I did, that it was expected of me that I 
was to bow to the name of Andrew Jackson, and 
follow him in all his motions, and mindings, and 
turnings, even at the expense of my conscience 
and judgment. Such a thing was new to me, and 
a total stranger to my principles. I know'd well 
enough, though, that if I didn't " hurra" for his 
name, the hue and cry was to be raised against 
me, and I was to be sacrificed, if possible. His 
famous, or rather I should say his in-famous, In- 
dian bill was brought forward, and I opposed it 
from the purest motives in the world. Several 
of my colleagues got around me, and told me how 
well they loved me, and that I was ruining my- 
S 



206 '^HE ^^^^^ ^^ 

self. They said this was a favourite measure of 
the president, and I ought to go for it. I told 
them I believed it was a wicked, unjust measure, 
and that I should go against it, let the cost to my- 
self be what it might ; that I was willing to go 
with General Jackson in every thing that I be- 
lieved was honest and right; but, further than 
this, I wouldn't go for him, or any other man in 
the whole creation ; that I would sooner be ho- 
nestly and politically d — nd, than hypocritically 
immortalized. I had been elected by a majority 
of three thousand five hundred and eighty-five 
votes, and I believed they were honest men, and 
wouldn't want me to vote for any unjust notion, 
to please Jackson or any one else ; at any rate, 
I was of age, and was determined to trust them. 
I voted against this Indian bill, and my conscience 
yet tells me that I gave a good honest vote, and 
one that I believe will not make me ashamed in 
the day of judgment. I served out my term, and 
though many amusing things happened, I am not 
disposed to swell my narrative by inserting them. 
When it closed, and I returned home, I found 
the storm had raised against me sure enough ; 
and it was echoed from side to side, and from end 
to end of my district, that I had turned against 
Jackson. This was considered the unpardonable 



DAVID CROCKETT. 207 

sin. I was hunted down like a wild varment, and 
in this hunt every little newspaper in the district, 
and every little pin-hook lawyer was engaged. 
Indeed, they were ready to print any and every 
thing that the ingenuity of man could invent 
against me. Each editor was furnished with the 
journals of Congress from head-quarters; and 
hunted out every vote I had missed in four ses- 
sions, whether from sickness or not, no matter , 
and each one was charged against me at eight 
dollars. In all I had missed about seventy votes, 
which they made amount to five hundred and 
sixty dollars ; and they contended I had swindled 
the government out of this sum, as I had received 
my pay, as other members do. I was now again 
a candidate in 1830, while all the attempts were 
making against me ; and every one of these little 
papers kept up a constant war on me, fighting 
with every scurrilous report they could catch. 

Over all I should have been elected, if it hadn't 
been, that but a few weeks before the election, the 
little four-pence-ha'penny limbs of the law fell on 
a plan to defeat me, which had the desired efiect. 
They agreed to spread out over the district, and 
make appointments for me to speak, almost every- 
where, to clear up .the Jackson question. They 
would give me no notice of these appointments, 



208 THE LIFE OF 

and the people would meet in great crowds to 
hear what excuse Crockett had to make for quit- 
ting Jackson. 

But instead of Crockett's being there, this 
small-fry of lawyers would be there, with their 
saddle-bags full of the little newspapers and their 
journals of Congress ; and would get up and 
speak, and read their scurrilous attacks on me, 
and would then tell the people that I was afraid 
to attend ; and in this way would turn many 
against me. All this intrigue was kept a profound 
secret from me, till it was too late to counteract 
it ; and when the election came, I had a majority 
in seventeen counties, putting all their votes to- 
gether, but the eighteenth beat me ; and so I was 
left out of Congress during those two years. The 
people of my district were induced, by these tricks, 
to take a stay on me for that time ; but they have 
since found out that they were imposed on, and 
on re-considering my case, have reversed that de- 
cision ; which, as the Dutchman said, " is as fair a 
ding as eber was." 

When I last declared myself a candidate, I 
knew that the district would be divided by the 
Legislature before the election would come on ; 
and I moreover knew, that from the geographical 
situation of the country, the county of Madison, 



DAVID CROCKETT. 209 

which was very strong, and whicli was the 
county that had given the majority that had beat 
me in the former race, should be left off from my 
district. 

But when the Legislature met, as I have been 
informed, and I have no doubt of the fact, Mr. 
Fitzgerald, my competitor, went up, and informed 
his friends in that body, that if Madison county 
was left off, he wouldn't run ; for " that Crockett 
could beat Jackson himself in those parts, in any 
way they could fix it." 

The liberal Legislature you know, of course, 
gave him that county ; and it is too clear to admit 
of dispute, that it was done to make a mash of me. 
In order to make my district in this way, they had 
to form the southern district of a string of counties 
around three sides of mine, or very nearly so. 
Had my old district been properly divided, it 
would have made two nice ones, in convenient nice 
form. But as it is, they are certainly the most 
unreasonably laid off of any in the state, or perhaps 
in the nation, or even in the te-total creation. 

However, when the election came on, the peo- 
ple of the district, and of Madison county among 
the rest, seemed disposed to prove to Mr. Fitzge- 
rald and the Jackson Legislature, that they were not 

to be transferred like hogs, and horses, and cattle 

s2 



210 THE LIFE OF 

in the market; and they determined that I shouldn't 
be broke down, though I had to carry Jackson, and 
the enemies of the bank, and the legislative works 
all at once. I had Mr. Fitzgerald, it is true, for 
my open competitor, but he was helped along by 
all his little lawyers again, headed by old Black 
Hawk, as he is sometimes called, (alias) Adam 
Huntsman, with all his talents for writing " Chro- 
nicles,^^ and such like foolish stuff. 

But one good thing was, and I must record it, 
the papers in the district were now beginning to 
say " fair play a little," and they would publish 
on both sides of the question. The contest was a 
warm one, and the battle well-fought ; but I gained 
the day, and the Jackson horse was left a little 
behind. When the polls were compared, it turned 
out I had beat Fitz just two hundred and two 
votes, having made a mash of all their intrigues. 
After all this, the reader will perceive that I am 
now here in Congress, this 28th day of January, 
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hun- 
dred and thirty-four ; and that, what is more 
agreeable to my feelings as a freeman, I am at 
liberty to vote as my conscience and judgment 
dictates to be right, without the yoke of any party 
on me, or the driver at my heels, with his whip in 
hand, commanding me to ge-wo-haw, just at his 



DAVID CROCKETT. 211 

pleasure. Look at my arms, you will find no 
party hand-cuff on them ! Look at my neck, you 
will not find there any collar, with the engraving 



MY DOG. 

Andrew Jackson. 



But you will find !ne standing up to my rack, 
as the people's faithful representative, and the pub- 
lic's most obedient, very humble servant, 

DAVID CROCKETT. 



THE END. 



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